The European Union has imposed restrictive measures on seven people and three entities that it says are responsible for serious human rights violations connected to scam-centre operations in Southeast Asia.
The sanctions, announced by the Council of the EU on 30 July 2026, cover three separate networks operating in Cambodia and Myanmar: Prince Holding Group, Jin Bei Group and the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army.
Read the official Council of the EU announcement.
Three networks added to the EU sanctions list
Prince Holding Group
The EU has listed Cambodia-based Prince Holding Group and its chairman, Chen Zhi.
The Council states that Prince Holding Group built scam-centre compounds through different companies in Cambodia and Myanmar. Victims were allegedly trafficked or recruited under false pretences, detained and forced to carry out cryptocurrency investment fraud and other online scams.
Prince Holding Group and Chen Zhi were already subject to earlier US and UK sanctions. The latest action does not represent the discovery of a new Prince Group entity, but adds the group and its chairman to the EU’s own sanctions regime.
Jin Bei Group
The EU has separately listed Jin Bei Group and its chairman, Zhu Zhongbiao, also known as Zhu Jack.
Jin Bei Group operates casinos and related businesses in Cambodia. The Council links the group to scam-centre compounds in Sihanoukville, including operations where victims were allegedly held against their will and forced to participate in online fraud.
Jin Bei Group and Zhu Zhongbiao had previously been designated by the United States in connection with the wider Prince Group network.
Democratic Karen Benevolent Army
The third entity listed is the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army, commonly known as the DKBA.
The DKBA is an armed group controlling territory in Myanmar’s Karen State near the Myanmar-Thailand border. According to the Council, it has allowed large scam-centre compounds to operate under its protection, provided security and enabled criminal networks to function within areas under its control.
The Council also reports that DKBA soldiers participated in violence against trafficking victims held inside these compounds.
Who has been listed?
The three entities added to the EU sanctions list are:
- Prince Holding Group
- Jin Bei Group
- Democratic Karen Benevolent Army
The seven individuals listed are:
- Chen Zhi – chairman of Prince Holding Group;
- Zhu Zhongbiao, also known as Zhu Jack – chairman of Jin Bei Group;
- Saw San Aung – chief of staff of the DKBA;
- Sai Kyaw Hla, also known as Ko Sai – DKBA major general and chairman of its Central Economic Committee;
- Saw Steel – patron of the DKBA Central Advisory Council and former commander-in-chief;
- Saw Sein Win – adjutant-general of the DKBA; and
- Saw Eh Le Htoo – a DKBA colonel reported by the EU to be operating the Deeko Park scam-centre compound.
What the EU sanctions mean
The listed people and entities are subject to an asset freeze. EU citizens and companies are prohibited from making funds available to them.
The seven individuals are also subject to travel bans preventing them from entering or transiting through EU territory.
The measures were imposed under the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime, reflecting the Council’s focus on alleged human trafficking, forced criminality, torture, arbitrary detention and other serious human rights violations associated with the scam-centre industry.
Why screening across multiple sanctions regimes matters
The action demonstrates that sanctions do not always appear across every international list at the same time.
Several of the people and organisations had already been sanctioned by the United States, and Prince Holding Group and Chen Zhi had also been targeted by the United Kingdom. They are now additionally subject to EU sanctions.
An organisation screening only against one country’s sanctions list may therefore receive a different result from an organisation screening against broader global sanctions coverage.
Practical sanctions controls should include:
- screening customers and counterparties against relevant national, UN, EU, UK and US sanctions lists;
- checking directors, shareholders, beneficial owners and other connected people where information is available;
- reviewing group structures and related companies rather than checking only the immediate legal entity;
- documenting potential matches, review decisions and escalation steps; and
- monitoring existing relationships as new sanctions are introduced.
The addition of these networks to the EU list may not change their legal status under every jurisdiction. It does, however, widen the number of organisations required to freeze assets, restrict transactions and review potential exposure.
