Singapore police have arrested a US-sanctioned man who operated a superyacht for the alleged mastermind of one of Asia’s largest scam networks, intensifying investigations into a sprawling transnational fraud case.
Nigel Tang Wan Bao Nabil was taken into custody on 11 December after returning to Singapore, police said in a statement.
The 32-year-old is currently out on bail, according to people familiar with the matter.
Police said Tang was arrested for suspected money laundering offences linked to Chen Zhi and companies associated with him.
Chen, a China-born Cambodian citizen, has been indicted by US authorities and accused of leading a criminal network that ran scam compounds using enslaved workers across the region.
US prosecutors allege that Chen and his Prince Holding Group orchestrated online “pig butchering” scams targeting victims in the United States and elsewhere, laundering billions of dollars in illicit proceeds. The 38-year-old is described by US authorities as being at large.
Tang is one of three Singapore citizens sanctioned by the US in October for their alleged ties to Chen, the founder and chairman of the Cambodian conglomerate.
According to the US Treasury, Tang captained Chen’s 53-metre superyacht, NONNI II, and served as a director and operations head of Warpcapital Yacht Management, a Singapore-registered firm.
He also headed operations at Capital Zone Warehousing, a Chen-controlled company that ran a tax-exempt warehouse for alcohol and tobacco imports.
Following the US indictment, Singapore and other jurisdictions have stepped up investigations into Chen’s network.
Singapore police said they have seized or barred the sale of more than S$150 million in assets linked to Chen and his associates, including properties, bank accounts, vehicles, liquor stocks and a yacht. At least 15 bank accounts were among those seized, according to court filings.
Four Singapore companies controlled by Chen, including Capital Zone Warehousing and his local family office, have applied to court for limited access to frozen funds to pay staff salaries, rent and legal expenses. The application is being driven by another US-sanctioned Singaporean, Karen Chen Xiuling, who is currently in Cambodia.
Prosecutors have opposed the request, arguing the funds are suspected proceeds of crime. They said Singapore’s Commercial Affairs Department is investigating Chen, his key associates and related companies, adding that Karen Chen and Alan Yeo, another sanctioned associate, failed to respond to requests for interviews.