The first four months of 2026 produced more enforcement action against pig-butchering than the entire preceding decade. By April 29, when Dubai Police walked out of nine fortified compounds with 275 suspects in custody, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) had already announced two other historic operations in the same quarter. 

Together with October 2025’s $15 billion Bitcoin forfeiture from Cambodia’s Prince Group, these actions represent the largest sustained law enforcement push the industry has ever seen against romance-baiting investment fraud.

What is Pig-Butchering, and why does it thrive in crypto

“Pig-butchering”, a translation of the Chinese sha zhu pan, is no longer a series of isolated incidents; it is…