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A Chinese judicial body has sentenced a group of top individuals of a well-known Burmese mafia to capital punishment as Beijing persists in its efforts on fraudulent operations in South East Asia.

In all, twenty-one clan members and associates were convicted of fraud, homicide, assault and other crimes, said a official document released on the court portal.

The group is one of a small number of organized crime groups that became dominant in the last two decades and transformed the impoverished backwater town of Laukkaing into a wealthy base of casinos and red-light districts.

Recently they turned to illegal operations in which thousands of smuggled individuals, several of them Chinese, are caught, mistreated and forced to scam targets in illegal enterprises worth huge sums.

Details of the Sentencing

Syndicate leader Bai Suocheng and his offspring Bai Yingcang were among the group of figures sentenced to capital punishment by the Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court. Yang Liqiang, A third figure and Chen Guangyi were the additional punished.

Two figures of the Bai family syndicate were handed delayed executions. Five were sentenced to permanent incarceration, while nine others were given prison terms between three to 20 years.

This family, who commanded their own armed group, created forty-one facilities to house their digital scam schemes and casinos, officials reported.

Extent of Criminal Schemes

Such illegal enterprises entailed exceeding 29bn yuan (over four billion dollars; over three billion pounds). These activities also caused the fatalities of six Chinese individuals, the suicide of an individual and multiple assaults, state media stated.

The harsh penalties handed down by the judicial body are a component of China's campaign to remove the vast scam networks in Southeast Asia - and issue a stern message to other unlawful syndicates.

Context of the Groups

These clans became dominant in the 2000s with the support of Min Aung Hlaing - who now leads Myanmar's military government. The leader had intended to bolster partners in the town after removing its previous ruler.

Among the families, the Bais were "absolutely number one", the son previously told state media.

"At that time, the clan was the leading in each of the political and military circles," the individual stated in a report about the clan, shown on national media in the summer.

Within that documentary, a employee at one of fraud facilities narrated the harm he had experienced there: besides being beaten, he had his nails extracted with tools and two of his fingers amputated with a tool.

More Charges

The son is included in those who were condemned to execution this week. The individual has also been separately convicted of planning to trade and make eleven tons of illegal drugs, official sources reported.

Decline of the Families

The families' downfall happened in last year as circumstances shifted.

Previously Beijing has urged the local government to rein in fraudulent operations in Laukkaing.

Recently, the Chinese police issued arrest warrants for the leading individuals of such families.

Bai Suocheng, the Bai family's leader, was included in the individuals who were transferred to Beijing from Myanmar in early 2024.

"Why is the state putting such extensive work to target the clans?" a expert stated in the summer report.

The purpose is to caution individuals, no matter who you are, your location, if you commit these heinous crimes affecting the citizens, you will pay the price."