China arrests Prince Group founder Chen Zhi over Cambodia scam compounds

Chinese prosecutors approved the arrest of Prince Group founder Chen Zhi on the 6th, after his extradition to China in January with cooperation from Cambodian authorities. For PSPs and acquirers, the point is not the headline alone: this is another reminder that crypto scam, illegal gambling, and trafficking-linked payment flows can sit inside the same corporate structure.

1. Chen Zhi, 38, from Fujian province, is the founder of Prince Group and has been identified as a central figure behind Cambodia’s online scam crime compounds. Chinese outlet Caixin reported on the 27th that prosecutors approved his arrest, which in China means investigators formally detain a suspect and begin criminal prosecution procedures.
2. The charges against Chen Zhi include fraud, operating illegal gambling dens, and illegal business operations. According to the report, he was extradited to China in January by the Ministry of Public Security with cooperation from Cambodian authorities.
3. Chen Zhi is also known for building crime compounds in Cambodia and forcing trafficked workers to carry out cryptocurrency scam crimes. That combination matters for payment teams because the flows behind these setups are rarely just “crypto” or just “gaming”; they are often mixed operations with gambling, fraud, and payment processing layered together.
4. The U.S. Department of Justice has also indicted Chen Zhi on human trafficking charges. The DOJ said Prince Group acted as a front organization for Asia’s largest cross-border crime compound.