Chinese authorities escorted Liu Ren from Cambodia back to China, according to a statement from the criminal investigation department of the Chinese Ministry of Public Security. Liu, identified as a central figure of a criminal group led by Chinese tycoon Chen Zhi, was extradited following the earlier transfer of Chen Zhi to China earlier this year, with both Beijing and Washington accusing the businessman of transnational fraud.

Chen Zhi had directed Liu Ren in 2016 to found a group that later became part of the alleged criminal network, according to reporting by the South China Morning Post. The same outlet noted that Chen Zhi’s extradition preceded Liu’s return.

The alleged money from the network was reported to have moved through groups including Code Pink and the People’s Forum, as reported by gdelt. Gordon Chang said the alleged activity fits the Chinese Communist Party’s “united front” strategy, also reported by gdelt.

Dual pressure from the United States and China has led to a crackdown on operations and assets of pig‑butchering and gambling rings in Southeast Asia as well as Hong Kong, South Korea, and Taiwan, with coordinated raids in China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam, according to Asia Sentinel. The outlet also reported that a Myanmar kingpin was extradited to China and that the Myanmar military raided the Shwe Kokko compound, located 40 km from the Thai border town of Mae Sot.