UK Sanctions Hu Xiaowei Linked to Cambodia's Prince Group

On March 27, Caixin reported that after being detained for over two months, Chen Zhi, the founder of Cambodia’s Prince Group, faced further sanctions from the UK targeting a Southeast Asian fraud network. Among those sanctioned is Hu Xiaowei, closely associated with Chen Zhi, whom the UK government describes as a ‘long-term collaborator’ of Chen. Their connection originated from private servers of the game ‘Legend,’ and they later established companies both domestically and internationally. The UK government announced these sanctions on March 26, which include multiple individuals and entities linked to the Prince Group. Chen Zhi, 38, hails from a fishing village in Fujian and previously ran an internet café. He initially gained notoriety as a hacker who ‘robbed’ private servers of ‘Legend.’ Over a decade ago, he moved to Southeast Asia and acquired Cambodian nationality. Within a few years, he controlled a global online fraud network, earning millions daily as a duke, with a net worth in the hundreds of billions, including $15 billion in Bitcoin seized by the US. At the height of his power, Chen Zhi expanded his operations to Singapore, the UK, and Taiwan. In early January 2026, he was stripped of his Cambodian nationality and extradited back to China on charges of fraud, illegal operations, and concealing criminal proceeds.