The British government has blacklisted a major online cryptocurrency marketplace and several key operatives as part of a sweeping sanctions package aimed at dismantling a vast network of Southeast Asian scam compounds.
The sanctions specifically target individuals and corporate entities linked to Cambodia’s Prince Group, a massive conglomerate accused of operating fraudulent centers built on severe human rights abuses, forced labor, and human trafficking.
At the center of the physical operation is Legend Innovation Co., the designated operator of Cambodia’s largest scam compound, known as #8 Park.
Linked directly to the Prince Group, the facility reportedly holds up to 20,000 trafficked workers. According to a statement released Thursday by the U.K.’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), these individuals are frequently foreign nationals who have been “lured into purpose-built scam compounds under the pretence of legitimate jobs.” Once inside, they are held captive and forced to execute online fraud campaigns under the constant threat of torture.
To fund and equip these sprawling physical camps, the network relied on a massive digital infrastructure. The U.K. sanctions targeted Xinbi, an illicit, Chinese-language marketplace operating primarily on the messaging app Telegram.
The FCDO described Xinbi as “one of the largest illicit marketplaces in Southeast Asia.” According to blockchain data and analytics platform Chainalysis, Xinbi was an instrumental hub within the broader money laundering ecosystem, processing more than $19.9 billion between 2021 and 2025.
The platform reportedly provided critical crypto services to scam centers like #8 Park. “These services include selling stolen personal data, which can be used to target scam victims, and satellite internet equipment, which is used to contact victims,” the FCDO statement noted.
The sanctions package also identified and blacklisted several high-level figures OCCRP reported about as having deep ties to the Prince Group and its leader, Chen Zhi.
Among those sanctioned is Hu Xiaowei, who holds citizenship in China, Cambodia, Cyprus, and St. Kitts and Nevis. Described by the FCDO as a long-term associate of Chen, Hu was reportedly unmasked as a key player in the conglomerate’s financial network, operating under three different aliases.
The list also includes Li Thet, a Cambodian and Chinese national whom British authorities characterized as a “key lieutenant” to Chen. Li allegedly managed the Prince Group’s sprawling international financial network, including its operations in Taiwan. Finally, the sanctions target Wang Xiaoyan, the wife of another central operative, Zhu Zhongbiao, the chairman of Jinbei Group, a casino operator in Prince Group’s umbrella of companies. Zhu Zhongbiao also known as Jack Zhu is cited for having deep, instrumental links to the group’s overarching operations.
“Our sanctions today send a clear message: We will not allow British people to become victims of these dreadful scams or tolerate the awful human rights abuses perpetrated in these scam centres,” said Stephen Doughty, the U.K. Minister of State for Europe, North America, and Overseas Territories.
