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One Chinese court has sentenced five top members of a notorious Myanmar organized crime group to death as Beijing persists in its crackdown on scam operations in the region.

Altogether, twenty-one Bai family figures and partners were convicted of fraud, murder, assault and other crimes, said a official document posted on the judicial website.

This clan is one of a few of mafias that rose to power in the last two decades and changed the poor remote area of the town into a profitable base of gambling establishments and entertainment zones.

Recently they turned to illegal operations in which many of smuggled individuals, several of them Chinese, are trapped, mistreated and forced to defraud targets in illegal activities worth billions of dollars.

Details of the Verdict

Mafia boss Bai Suocheng and his son Bai Yingcang were among the group of men condemned to execution by the court in Shenzhen. Another individual, Hu Xiaojiang and A fourth person were the additional convicted.

A couple of members of the Bai family mafia were handed suspended death sentences. Five were given to permanent incarceration, while nine others were given prison sentences between a period of 3-20 years.

The clan, who controlled their own private army, established forty-one facilities to house their digital scam operations and casinos, government stated.

Magnitude of Unlawful Operations

Such unlawful operations entailed more than twenty-nine billion yuan ($4.1bn; £3.1 billion). These activities also led to the fatalities of several Chinese nationals, the self-inflicted death of one and numerous injuries, state media stated.

The severe penalties issued by the judicial body are a component of the Chinese campaign to remove the large scam networks in the region - and send a stern message to other unlawful organizations.

Background of the Groups

These families became dominant in the early 2000s with the help of Min Aung Hlaing - who now leads Myanmar's regime. The leader had aimed to bolster associates in Laukkaing after removing its previous warlord.

Within the clans, the this family were "absolutely number one", Bai Yingcang previously stated to official sources.

"At that time, the clan was the leading in both the government and military arenas," he said in a documentary about the Bai family, aired on Chinese state media in the summer.

Within that film, a worker at one of fraud facilities described the abuse he had endured at the location: besides being beaten, he had his fingernails removed with tools and two of his fingers amputated with a kitchen knife.

Further Allegations

The son is included in those who were condemned to death in the latest ruling. The individual has also been separately convicted of organizing to traffic and make 11 tonnes of narcotics, reports reported.

Decline of the Groups

The families' downfall came in recent times as circumstances altered.

Over a long period Beijing has urged the Myanmar junta to limit fraudulent operations in Laukkaing.

In 2023, the law enforcement issued detention orders for the key figures of such clans.

Bai Suocheng, the Bai family's head, was among the individuals who were handed to Beijing from Myanmar in the beginning of the year.

"Why is the state making such extensive work to pursue the groups?" a official stated in the summer report.

The purpose is to caution other people, regardless of your identity, your location, as long as you carry out these heinous acts affecting the nationals, you will pay the price."