China Condemns High-Profile Burmese Fraud Syndicate Leaders to Execution

One China's judicial body has condemned a group of prominent figures of a well-known Myanmar mafia to execution as Chinese authorities maintains its efforts on fraudulent operations in Southeast Asian region.

In all, 21 clan individuals and collaborators were convicted of scams, murder, assault and various crimes, said a state media document published on the court portal.

This clan is one of a few of syndicates that gained influence in the last two decades and converted the impoverished isolated region of Laukkaing into a profitable base of gambling establishments and red-light districts.

Recently they turned to scams in which many of trafficked workers, many of them Chinese, are ensnared, abused and obligated to scam others in criminal activities valued at billions.

Information of the Verdict

Syndicate boss the patriarch and his offspring Bai Yingcang were among the several figures condemned to capital punishment by the Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court. Another individual, A third figure and Chen Guangyi were the remaining punished.

A couple of figures of the clan syndicate were handed conditional death penalties. Several were sentenced to life in prison, while more figures were handed prison sentences ranging from several years to two decades.

The clan, who commanded their own armed group, set up 41 bases to accommodate their digital scam operations and gambling houses, officials stated.

Extent of Unlawful Schemes

Such criminal operations involved exceeding twenty-nine billion local currency (over four billion dollars; £3.1 billion). They also led to the demise of several from China citizens, the suicide of an individual and numerous injuries, state media stated.

The severe penalties handed down by the court are part of China's campaign to eliminate the extensive scam networks in the region - and deliver a strong warning to further unlawful groups.

History of the Groups

Such families rose to power in the early 2000s with the support of a military leader - who is in charge of Myanmar's military government. He had wanted to bolster allies in the town after replacing its earlier warlord.

Among the groups, the this family were "the top", Bai Yingcang before told official sources.

Back then, the clan was the dominant in each of the political and armed circles," he stated in a film about the clan, shown on Chinese state media in July.

During the film, a worker at their illegal operations recalled the harm he had experienced there: in addition to being assaulted, he had his nails extracted with instruments and two of his digits amputated with a tool.

More Charges

Bai Yingcang is among those who were given to execution in the latest ruling. He has also been independently found guilty of organizing to traffic and produce eleven tons of narcotics, reports stated.

Decline of the Clans

The families' fall occurred in recent times as circumstances altered.

For years Chinese authorities has encouraged the local government to rein in fraudulent activities in Laukkaing.

Recently, the law enforcement issued arrest warrants for the most prominent members of these clans.

The patriarch, the Bai family's head, was among the warlords who were transferred to China from Myanmar in recent months.

"Why is the Chinese government putting significant resources to go after the four families?" a expert said in the July film.

The purpose is to caution individuals, no matter who you are, your location, as long as you engage in such heinous crimes against the citizens, you will pay the price."