Cambodia extradites accused cyberscam boss to China

A China-born accused cyberscam boss was extradited from Cambodia, Chinese state media said on Wednesday, linking him to an alleged kingpin indicted by the US for running a multibillion-dollar cyberscam network from the Southeast Asian nation.



Cambodia has emerged as a hotspot for cyberscam operations in recent years, with transnational crime groups initially largely targeting Chinese speakers before widening their targets and stealing tens of billions of dollars annually from victims around the world.



China's state-run broadcaster CCTV showed a shaven-headed Li Xiong in handcuffs being escorted by Chinese police off a China Southern plane on Wednesday.



State news agency Xinhua said Li was central to a "major cross-border gambling and fraud syndicate", citing China's Ministry of Public Security.



The CCTV report called Li "a core member of Chen Zhi's criminal gang".



Also born in China, Chen served as an adviser to both Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and his father, former leader Hun Sen.