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One Chinese court has handed down death sentences to several leading figures of a well-known Myanmar organized crime group to execution as Beijing continues its crackdown on scam activities in the region.

Altogether, twenty-one Bai family figures and partners were found guilty of scams, murder, assault and other crimes, reported a official announcement posted on the judicial website.

The group is among a handful of organized crime groups that became dominant in the last two decades and transformed the underdeveloped backwater town of Laukkaing into a lucrative hub of casinos and nightlife areas.

In recent years they turned to scams in which many of illegally moved workers, several of them Chinese, are caught, harmed and forced to scam others in unlawful activities worth huge sums.

Specifics of the Verdict

Mafia leader Bai Suocheng and his offspring Bai Yingcang were among the group of individuals sentenced to capital punishment by the Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court. Another individual, A third figure and Chen Guangyi were the remaining convicted.

Two members of the clan mafia were handed delayed executions. Five were given to permanent incarceration, while additional individuals were handed prison terms ranging from three to 20 years.

The clan, who controlled their own militia, set up 41 facilities to host their digital scam schemes and gambling houses, officials said.

Scale of Criminal Activities

Such criminal enterprises included exceeding twenty-nine billion yuan (over four billion dollars; over three billion pounds). These activities also caused the demise of six Chinese individuals, the suicide of an individual and several assaults, state media announced.

The severe punishments delivered by the judicial body are a component of China's initiative to eliminate the vast scam operations in South East Asia - and deliver a firm warning to additional unlawful organizations.

History of the Families

Such families became dominant in the early 2000s with the assistance of a prominent figure - who is in charge of Myanmar's military government. He had aimed to bolster allies in Laukkaing after removing its previous leader.

Within the families, the this family were "the most powerful", Bai Yingcang previously informed state media.

Back then, our Bai family was the leading in both the government and military arenas," he said in a report about the clan, broadcast on Chinese state media in the summer.

During the report, a employee at a their scam centres described the abuse he had experienced at the location: besides being assaulted, he had his fingernails yanked out with instruments and a couple of his digits severed with a blade.

More Allegations

The son is among those who were sentenced to execution in the latest ruling. He has also been separately sentenced of organizing to smuggle and manufacture a large quantity of methamphetamine, reports reported.

End of the Clans

The families' fall came in last year as political winds shifted.

For years Beijing has encouraged the local government to control fraudulent activities in the area.

Last year, the law enforcement issued legal actions for the most prominent figures of such families.

The patriarch, the clan's patriarch, was included in the figures who were transferred to Beijing from the country in early 2024.

"Why is the Chinese government making such extensive work to go after the four families?" a Chinese investigator commented in the July documentary.

This serves as a warning individuals, no matter who you are, your base, as long as you carry out such serious crimes targeting the Chinese people, you will face consequences."