Online Scam Operations Foiled in Sihanoukville Villa Raid; 37 Detained, 110 Phones Seized

Joint administrative forces in Sihanoukville have detained 37 suspects, including dozens of foreign nationals, during an open-administrative inspection of a residential villa suspected of hosting online scam operations, local authorities said Tuesday. The operation was conducted on Monday in Village 5, Sangkat 4, Sihanoukville, led by the Sihanoukville Deputy City Governor with legal coordination from the Deputy Prosecutor of the Sihanoukville Provincial Court. During the raid, law enforcement personnel seized electronic equipment linked to tech-enabled fraud, including five all-in-one desktop computers, 110 mobile phones, and one motor vehicle. Officers also discovered multiple foreign nationals residing in the compound without valid passports or documentation. A total of 37 individuals were taken into custody, comprising two Cambodians (one female), 34 Chinese nationals (one female), and one Myanmar national. Among the suspects, 23 men were found to be living in the country without legal entry permits or proper travel documents. All 37 suspects and the confiscated evidence were transferred to the Sihanoukville Provincial Police Headquarters for further questioning and legal proceedings. Local officials stated that the Sihanoukville Administrative Command will continue conducting targeted open-administrative inspections across suspicious locations as part of an ongoing, continuous campaign to eliminate online scam networks from the region. Sihanoukville has seen a surge in Chinese investment in recent years, with rapid growth in casinos and real estate development, but it has also been identified as a hub for illegal online gambling and scam operations. This raid appears to be part of an effort to strengthen measures against such activities.