Authorities in Timor-Leste have arrested 28 foreign nationals on suspicion of operating an illegal online gambling and cyber fraud network in the capital, Dili, as the country continues an intensified crackdown on transnational organised crime.

The Criminal Investigation Police (PCIC) carried out the operation in the Fomento II area of Dili during the early hours of Tuesday in coordination with the National Strategic Intelligence Service (SNIE).

Most of those arrested are Chinese nationals, while investigators believe several suspects may have previously been involved in similar illegal operations in Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos.

According to the PCIC, the suspects are being investigated for alleged involvement in illegal online gambling activities and computer fraud. Authorities said the operation forms part of a broader effort to dismantle criminal networks using Timor-Leste as a base for cyber-enabled crimes targeting victims both domestically and abroad.

The latest arrests come amid a wider nationwide enforcement campaign against illegal online gambling and scam operations. Earlier Timor-Leste authorities detained another 90 foreign nationals during coordinated raids in Dili and Liquiçá linked to suspected online fraud and illegal gambling activities. Those operations followed an earlier crackdown that resulted in the detention of dozens of additional foreign suspects and the seizure of computers, mobile phones and communications equipment.

The intensified enforcement follows the Timor-Leste government’s decision to abolish its offshore online gambling licensing regime after concerns that the sector had attracted international criminal syndicates involved in online scams, money laundering and cyber fraud. Officials have pledged to continue investigations and conduct further operations to identify and dismantle illegal gambling and cybercrime networks operating within the country.