Overview
- The government told foreign diplomats on Friday that investigations since July 2025 led to probes of 793 suspected sites, raids on 624 locations, nearly 30,000 detentions and the deportation of 58,266 foreign nationals.
- Officials highlighted a March law that allows penalties up to life in prison and cited the earlier extraditions of alleged kingpins Chen Zhi and Li Xiong as signs of stronger enforcement.
- Independent groups and analysts express deep skepticism about the claim of eradication and say the true test is transparent prosecutions of ringleaders and the end of political protection.
- Authorities say criminal networks have shifted to decentralised, small-scale operations hidden in guesthouses, condos, rental homes, vehicles and coffee shops and that enforcement will continue against those sites.
- The crackdown follows reporting and UNODC estimates of trafficking, forced labour and tens of billions in global losses, and restricted media access in Cambodia means independent verification of the government’s claim remains limited.