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Read Full BioThe UAE Ministry of Interior has announced that it has extradited a Chinese fugitive to Beijing over allegations he was running a multimillion-dollar illegal gambling network.
The Ministry of Interior posted the news on its official website, noting that the “suspect was arrested by the Dubai Police, pursuant to a red notice issued by the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL).”
Chinese authorities are reported to have expressed their appreciation to UAE officials for facilitating the man’s return to China. The notice claims: “He’s considered one of the most wanted individuals by Chinese authorities on charges of running an organized criminal network that operates fraudulent gambling sites worth millions of dollars.”
No further details about the man’s identity or the details of the crimes were disclosed.
China Clamps Down on Illegal Gambling Operations
The arrest of the man is the latest in a crackdown on illegal gambling by the Chinese authorities. The country will often go to extreme lengths to uncover gambling networks, including sending drones to hunt gambling dens in rural areas.
Additionally, the government utilizes diplomatic connections to prosecute Chinese citizens found to be involved in illegal gambling activity. The individual extradited from Dubai adds to more than 11,000 arrests in the course of 45 major cross-border gambling investigations in 2024.
A statement on the Chinese government’s website noted: “Public security authorities across China investigated and handled a total of 73,000 cases related to cross-border gambling and associated crimes last year.”
In addition to investigating Chinese citizens participating in illegal activities overseas, authorities have also targeted foreign citizens running illegal gambling operations within China.
The statement added “that these efforts had further strengthened the ‘overwhelming crackdown’ on cross-border gambling activities — as the police had eradicated multiple recruitment networks and underground financial channels operated by major overseas gambling syndicates within China.”
Authorities have also uncovered Chinese party officials involved in gambling scandals and expelled Liu Jian, a party official, for gambling and bribery in June this year.
Chinese Ties With UAE Lead to Gambling Operations
The UAE was one of the first Arab states to establish diplomatic ties with China, and has maintained a positive relationship since 1984. The extradition of the wanted criminal further strengthens the cooperation between the nations.
Since the launch of the “Going-Out” strategy in 1999 to promote Chinese investments abroad, over 4,000 Chinese companies have been established in the UAE.
One consequence of the ties between the nations is the rise of Chinese citizens running criminal networks from the UAE. Many of these networks have established online gambling operations in the UAE, registering businesses legally under the guise of online gaming, e-commerce, or software development companies.
An analysis of the issue noted: “Since mid-2020, these transnational cybercrime networks have brought over 100,000 Chinese recruits on tourist visas to Dubai from Cambodia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Vietnam, and mainland China to operate offshore gaming and gambling platforms.”
It is noted that the operations have been brought to the attention of authorities in both countries, and they have been working together to eradicate the networks. The arrest of the wanted fugitive is another step in this process.
