SINGAPORE – Several foreigners arrested last Tuesday in Singapore’s biggest anti-money laundering operation are allegedly linked to individuals who were investigated in China for illegal gambling activities.
Vang Shuiming, who is facing a forgery charge here, is said to be a known associate of eight individuals on the run from the authorities in China, which had uncovered an illegal gambling syndicate in May 2022.
The eight fugitives – Wang Shuiting, Shi Wenhui, Wang Zhiqiang, Jia Xueliang, Wang Jinwang, Wang Zaiyuan, Su Weijie and Huang Yijiao – have been urged to return to assist in a probe which saw 131 people arrested in China and more than 10 million yuan (S$1.9 million) seized.
Vang, who is also known as Wang Shuiming, is a 42-year-old Turkish national. He was among the nine men and one woman, aged 31 to 44, who were arrested in Singapore in an islandwide operation that involved more than 400 officers.
A second individual arrested here – Wang Baosen, 31 – is allegedly linked to Wang Bingang, 34, and Wang Cailin, 36.
According to media reports, the three Chinese nationals were investigated by the Chinese authorities for their roles in operating illegal gambling sites.
Baosen, who is in remand here and facing a money laundering charge, is said to have been a member of the same group as Bingang and Cailin.
Chinese media outlet Shi Chang Xin Bao reported in 2013 that Bingang and Cailin were in their 20s when they launched a gambling website which offered games like blackjack and baccarat and provided sports and e-sports betting services.
Their business grew quickly and in 2014, they moved the operations to the city of Bavet, in Cambodia, which is near the border with Vietnam.
Soon after they launched the site Hongli300, the group expanded their team aggressively, hiring and recruiting ethnic Chinese people to fill roles in graphic design, customer service and finance management.
The media in China said Bingang and Cailin also recruited family members and used their bank accounts to hold illicit funds acquired through the illegal gambling site.
According to reports, others involved in the operations included Xie Juxiang, Wang Jin, Liao Haican, Tang Li, Huang Jinfeng, Sun Xinzhao, Chen Jianqiang and Wang Chaolan, who is Cailin’s sister.