Su Wenqiang has been sentenced to 13 months in prison in Singapore for his involvement in a $2.1bn illegal gambling ring. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

A Cambodian national is the first person to be convicted in connection to a massive SG$2.8bn (US$2.1bn) money laundering and illegal gambling ring in Singapore. Su Wenqiang has been sentenced to 13 months in prison on 11 criminal counts.

The bulk of the charges – eight of them – were laundering the proceeds of overseas organized crime activities. The rest of the charges levied against the 32-year-old Su included two counts of false declaration and one count of possession of a forged document.

Su was arrested in August 2023 along with nine other foreign nationals for operating a remote gambling business in the Philippines which drew customers from other countries.

the seizures were worth about SG$6m (US$4.5m)

Singapore police seized cash, two vehicles (including a Mercedes Benz AMG), jewelry, alcohol, and other luxury items from Su. All told, the seizures were worth about SG$6m (US$4.5m).

The illegal gambling operation included people from Cambodia, China, Cyprus, Turkey, and Vanuatu. It catered mainly to people in China.