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One China's judicial body has condemned a group of top figures of a notorious Burmese organized crime group to death as Beijing maintains its efforts on fraudulent activities in Southeast Asian region.

Overall, 21 Bai family figures and partners were found guilty of scams, homicide, assault and various crimes, said a state media document posted on the judicial portal.

The group is among a few of mafias that gained influence in the 2000s and changed the poor remote area of Laukkaing into a profitable hub of gambling establishments and red-light districts.

In recent years they pivoted to fraudulent schemes in which thousands of trafficked individuals, a large number of them Chinese, are trapped, harmed and obligated to defraud others in illegal activities estimated at huge sums.

Details of the Sentencing

Mafia head Bai Suocheng and his heir Bai Yingcang were among the group of men sentenced to execution by the Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court. Yang Liqiang, Hu Xiaojiang and Chen Guangyi were the other three punished.

Two members of the clan mafia were given conditional death penalties. Five were given to life imprisonment, while nine others were handed prison terms ranging from several years to two decades.

This family, who commanded their own militia, established 41 facilities to house their cyberscam operations and gambling houses, officials reported.

Scale of Criminal Schemes

These illegal activities involved more than twenty-nine billion local currency ($4.1 billion; over three billion pounds). They also resulted in the fatalities of several Chinese citizens, the suicide of one and multiple injuries, state media reported.

The harsh punishments issued by the court are within the Chinese initiative to remove the extensive scam networks in South East Asia - and deliver a firm signal to other criminal syndicates.

Background of the Groups

These families became dominant in the recent decades with the assistance of a prominent figure - who is in charge of Myanmar's junta. He had aimed to prop up associates in the town after ousting its previous warlord.

Among the clans, the this family were "the most powerful", Bai Yingcang earlier informed state media.

During that period, we was the dominant in both the political and armed circles," the individual said in a documentary about the clan, broadcast on official channels in July.

In the same documentary, a employee at one of illegal operations described the abuse he had endured at the location: besides being hit, he had his nails extracted with pliers and a couple of his fingers severed with a tool.

More Accusations

Bai Yingcang is included in those who were given to death this week. He has additionally been separately sentenced of organizing to trade and manufacture a large quantity of methamphetamine, reports reported.

Decline of the Groups

Their downfall happened in 2023 as situations shifted.

For years Beijing has encouraged the local government to control scam operations in Laukkaing.

Last year, the law enforcement announced arrest warrants for the key members of such groups.

Bai Suocheng, the clan's leader, was among the figures who were transferred to China from the country in the beginning of the year.

"Why is the authorities making significant resources to go after the clans?" a expert said in the July report.

This serves as a warning individuals, no matter who you are, your location, as long as you engage in such serious acts affecting the citizens, you will pay the price."