The Empire Still Breathes — Who Controls Chen Zhi’s Billions Now?
It began with a quiet signature in Cambodian archives, hinting at Chen Zhi's vast bitcoin empire worth $15 billion. Investigators uncovered a web of over 100 shell companies, mining operations in Laos like Warp Data Technology, and laundering through Cambodian entities such as Prince Holding Group and Prince Bank. Triggered by the 2020 Lubian Hack exposing 127,271 BTC in unhosted wallets, global agencies—DOJ, OFAC, Interpol—connected dots on pig-butchering scams, bribery, and cash smuggling by associates like Thet Li and Wei Qianjiang. A whistleblower leak, codenamed 'Sparrow,' revealed bribery ledgers, igniting Operation Prince: synchronized raids froze assets, shut down facilities, and led to the largest crypto forfeiture. In the aftermath, sanctions isolated remnants, markets rippled, and political silence lingered, leaving shadows of an enduring system.