I just came across a pretty shocking case. The massive money laundering operation cracked by Singapore police in 2023, with one of the main suspects, Wang Shuiming, being arrested in Montenegro and now facing extradition back to Singapore. This guy had hidden a bunch of assets outside Singapore—over 32 million yuan invested domestically, along with factories, apartments, Hong Kong dollar deposits, and even $110k worth of cryptocurrency in his accounts.

Even more outrageous is Wang Shuiming’s partner, Su Weiyi, who secretly controlled a Hong Kong-based crypto platform called Atom Asset Exchange. In November 2022, they ran off with HKD 16.74 million, and it wasn’t until July last year that Hong Kong police caught him. These people used forged documents, shell companies, and cryptocurrencies to launder illegal gambling and scam funds from Southeast Asia, then invested the proceeds into high-end assets in Singapore and overseas. Police say the total amount involved in this case is around 3 billion SGD. They arrested 10 people at once, all from Fujian, aged between 31 and 44.

Interestingly, Su Weiyi is also connected to a convicted former Filipino-Chinese mayor, indicating this network runs pretty deep. What Wang Shuiming’s case shows is that no matter how much you hide, you can’t escape forever—you’ll eventually get caught.