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One Chinese judicial body has condemned several prominent figures of a well-known Myanmar organized crime group to capital punishment as Beijing maintains its efforts on scam operations in South East Asia.

Altogether, 21 Bai family figures and partners were convicted of scams, murder, assault and additional offenses, said a official announcement published on the judicial website.

The family is one of a small number of organized crime groups that became dominant in the last two decades and transformed the impoverished isolated region of Laukkaing into a profitable center of gambling establishments and entertainment zones.

In recent years they turned to scams in which thousands of trafficked individuals, a large number of them from China, are caught, mistreated and obligated to defraud targets in illegal operations estimated at huge sums.

Information of the Verdict

Mafia boss Bai Suocheng and his heir Bai Yingcang were among the five figures sentenced to death by the Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court. Yang Liqiang, A third figure and Chen Guangyi were the additional convicted.

Two members of the Bai family syndicate were handed conditional death penalties. Several were condemned to life in prison, while nine others were handed jail terms ranging from three to 20 years.

This family, who led their own private army, set up forty-one facilities to host their digital scam schemes and gambling houses, government stated.

Scale of Unlawful Schemes

These unlawful activities included over twenty-nine billion Chinese yuan ($4.1bn; £3.1bn). They also resulted in the deaths of six from China individuals, the self-inflicted death of an individual and multiple assaults, reports reported.

The harsh sentences handed down by the court are part of the Chinese campaign to remove the large fraud operations in South East Asia - and deliver a firm warning to further illegal organizations.

Background of the Groups

Such families gained influence in the early 2000s with the assistance of a military leader - who currently heads the country's junta. The leader had intended to prop up allies in the town after ousting its previous ruler.

Within the families, the Bais were "the most powerful", Bai Yingcang before told state media.

"At that time, our Bai family was the most powerful in both the political and military spheres," the individual stated in a film about the Bai family, aired on official channels in the summer.

Within that film, a individual at their illegal operations recalled the mistreatment he had suffered at the location: besides being beaten, he had his fingernails yanked out with pliers and two of his digits amputated with a blade.

Further Charges

The son is included in those who were sentenced to death in the latest ruling. He has also been independently convicted of planning to smuggle and make eleven tons of narcotics, state media announced.

Downfall of the Families

The families' downfall occurred in 2023 as circumstances changed.

For years Beijing has encouraged the regime to rein in scam schemes in Laukkaing.

Recently, the Chinese police issued arrest warrants for the most prominent members of these groups.

Bai Suocheng, the Bai family's leader, was included in the individuals who were handed to China from the country in the beginning of the year.

For what reason is the authorities making so much effort to go after the groups?" a official commented in the summer documentary.

The purpose is to caution individuals, no matter who you are, where you are, if you carry out such terrible crimes affecting the nationals, you will face consequences."