Crypto scam and human trafficking investigator in Cambodia faces charges
Renowned Cambodian journalist Mech Dara has been arrested and charged with “incitement to cause public disorder” after sharing photos in a now-deleted Facebook post that reportedly depicted the destruction of stairs leading to a religious site by a quarry operation.
Journalist Mech Dara is a recipient of the US State Department’s TIP Report Heroes award. (US Department of State)
But human rights organizations suspect he may have been targeted over his investigative reporting on criminal crypto syndicates in Cambodia, where victims are allegedly kidnapped, detained, and coerced into working as crypto scammers targeting individuals worldwide.
These compounds reportedly function as hubs for “pig butchering” scams, where perpetrators gradually build trust with their victims, often manipulating romantic emotions in a process akin to “fattening” their targets before persuading them to invest in fraudulent cryptocurrency schemes.
Cambodia, along with its Southeast Asian neighbors, has emerged as the epicenter for these pig butchering operations. While estimates of the global damage vary, a study by John Griffin, a finance professor at The University of Texas, places the losses from January 2020 to February 2024 at over $75 billion.
Dara’s in-depth coverage of human trafficking and the pig butchering scams in Cambodia earned him the United States Department of Trafficking in Persons Report Hero award in 2023. His investigative work notably exposed the links between these criminal rings and Cambodian senator Ly Yong Phat.
In September, Phat was sanctioned by the US Department of Treasury for his alleged involvement in human trafficking and forced labor tied to crypto scams, a move that the Cambodian government condemned.
Dara’s arrest has ignited widespread outcries from human rights organizations and press freedom…
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