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One China's judicial body has condemned five leading figures of a notorious Burmese mafia to death as Beijing continues its crackdown on scam activities in Southeast Asian region.

Altogether, 21 clan individuals and collaborators were convicted of scams, homicide, assault and other crimes, said a state media document released on the court website.

The family is one of a handful of mafias that became dominant in the early 2000s and transformed the impoverished backwater town of Laukkaing into a wealthy center of casinos and nightlife areas.

In recent years they shifted to scams in which numerous of illegally moved individuals, a large number of them from China, are ensnared, harmed and compelled to defraud targets in unlawful operations worth billions.

Details of the Judgment

Syndicate leader Bai Suocheng and his heir the younger Bai were included in the group of men condemned to death by the judicial body. Yang Liqiang, A third figure and A fourth person were the other three punished.

A couple of members of the Bai family syndicate were handed delayed executions. Five were given to life in prison, while more figures were given prison sentences varying from three to 20 years.

This family, who commanded their own armed group, created 41 facilities to host their cyberscam operations and betting establishments, officials reported.

Scale of Unlawful Activities

Such criminal enterprises involved over twenty-nine billion Chinese yuan ($4.1 billion; over three billion pounds). They also led to the deaths of six Chinese individuals, the suicide of an individual and multiple harm, reports announced.

The harsh penalties delivered by the court are part of China's campaign to remove the large fraud operations in the region - and send a stern warning to other criminal groups.

Background of the Families

These families became dominant in the 2000s with the support of Min Aung Hlaing - who currently heads Myanmar's junta. The leader had intended to support allies in Laukkaing after replacing its earlier warlord.

Among the families, the this family were "absolutely number one", Bai Yingcang earlier informed state media.

During that period, the clan was the leading in both the political and armed arenas," the individual remarked in a report about the Bai family, shown on official channels in July.

Within that report, a employee at a fraud facilities recalled the mistreatment he had suffered there: besides being hit, he had his nails removed with pliers and a couple of his digits severed with a kitchen knife.

Additional Allegations

Bai Yingcang is among those who were condemned to death in the latest ruling. He has also been independently convicted of planning to traffic and make a large quantity of methamphetamine, state media reported.

End of the Clans

Their fall happened in last year as circumstances changed.

For years Chinese authorities has pressed the local government to control scam schemes in Laukkaing.

In 2023, the law enforcement issued legal actions for the key figures of such families.

Bai Suocheng, the Bai family's patriarch, was among the figures who were extradited to China from Myanmar in the beginning of the year.

For what reason is the state making such extensive work to pursue the four families?" a Chinese investigator stated in the July documentary.

"It's to warn individuals, no matter your position, your location, as long as you engage in such terrible crimes targeting the Chinese people, you will face consequences."