US Sanctions Cambodian Crime Network Linked to Trafficking Hundreds of Kenyans

American authorities have imposed fresh sanctions on a Cambodian-based criminal network accused of trafficking hundreds of Kenyans and other foreign nationals into forced labour at online scam compounds across Southeast Asia.

The action, announced by the US Department of Treasury on Thursday, November 5, targets four individuals and 41 entities linked to the Prince Group Transnational Criminal Organisation.

Confirming the rescue operations on Friday, November 6, the US Embassy in Nairobi revealed that hundreds of Kenyan nationals were pulled out of Southeast Asian scam centres in 2026.

The US State Department said members of the syndicate carry out sophisticated cyber fraud targeting Americans and citizens of other countries. The victims are lured through fake overseas job offers, only to end up trapped inside large-scale scam compounds in Southeast Asia and forced to run internet fraud operations.

State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the Trump administration will continue targeting international criminal groups that use cybercrime and extortion to prey on Americans.

"No criminal network is beyond reach," Pigott said.

The financial sanctions were processed through the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, aiming to freeze the financial and corporate networks that allow the Prince Group to maintain operations. The Treasury previously hit the network with sanctions in October 2025 and June 2026.

In a separate action, Washington sanctioned a Malaysian national, Chui Kok Wa. US prosecutors charged Chui on October 27 in the US District Court for the District of Columbia with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He is accused of running a scam network in Madagascar that defrauded American victims through digital asset schemes.

The US government imposed the measures under executive orders directed at cybercrime, fraud, and transnational criminal organisations.

Human trafficking from Kenya to Asia has been a growing concern. The 2025 US Trafficking in Persons Report placed Kenya in Tier 2, noting that while the government does not fully meet the minimum standards to end human trafficking, it is making significant efforts to comply.