The Cambodian businessman of Chinese origin has been indicted by US authorities for massive cyber fraud.

Chen Zhi, a shareholder of Habanos SA, who was being prosecuted by US authorities for massive cyber fraud, has been arrested in Cambodia and deported to China.

Cambodian authorities “arrested three Chinese nationals, Chen Zhi, Xu Ji Liang, and Shao Ji Hui, and extradited them to the People’s Republic of China,” the Cambodian Ministry of the Interior announced in a statement.

The operation was carried out on Tuesday, January 7, 2026, “within the framework of international cooperation in the fight against transnational crime and at the request of the Chinese authorities,” the same source added.

The Cambodian businessman of Chinese origin had been considered a fugitive since his indictment by US authorities on October 15.

This indictment has had significant repercussions for the cigar industry. In the Dominican Republic, Tabacalera de Garcia (TG), the largest tobacco manufacturer in the country and the world, finds itself unable to sell its production in the United States due to sanctions imposed by the American administration on a whole series of assets belonging to Chen Zhi.

The Habanos distributor in Sweden loses its license

Due to Chen Zhi’s presence as a shareholder, Elite Trading Scandinavia (formerly Habanos Nordic), the importer of Cuban cigars in Northern Europe, has just had its tobacco distribution license in Sweden revoked, reports the Swedish blog Cigarrvarlden. “The grounds for revoking the tobacco license are partly that Elite Trading Scandinavia, by itself has failed to report changes in the composition of the board and in the ownership, which is a requirement under the Tobacco Act.,” the Swedish website writes.

Tabacalera SLU, a shareholder of Habanos S.A. and partially owned by Chen Zhi, announced in mid-December that the Cambodian businessman was about to be “removed” from the shareholding, but without committing to a timeframe for the repurchase of his shares by minority shareholders.