Cambodian police and U.S. DEA bust crypto laundering ring tied to Sinaloa Cartel

Cambodia’s National Authority for Combating Drugs, led by Meas Vyrith, announced that joint actions with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration resulted in arrests and the seizure of drugs, precursor chemicals and cryptocurrency linked to the Sinaloa Cartel. The operations, carried out at four sites in Phnom Penh and the neighboring Kandal province between August 1 and 5, yielded more than 200 kg of illegal narcotics and over one metric ton of chemicals used in production.

U.S. officials also reported a prior seizure of roughly $7 million in cryptocurrency in New Jersey, with suspects now being pursued in Cambodia. The cartel, designated a foreign terrorist organization by the Trump administration, is a leading fentanyl producer and sources precursors from China. Cambodia, traditionally a transit point for methamphetamine from the Golden Triangle, has increasingly become a financial and logistics hub for Latin American drug groups, alongside its notorious scam-center industry. The crackdown reflects a broader regional effort to disrupt transnational organized crime networks.