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A China's court has condemned a group of prominent figures of a well-known Myanmar organized crime group to death as Chinese authorities persists in its crackdown on fraudulent operations in South East Asia.

Overall, 21 Bai family individuals and collaborators were found guilty of scams, homicide, assault and other crimes, reported a state media announcement published on the judicial portal.

The family is one of a handful of organized crime groups that rose to power in the 2000s and transformed the impoverished remote area of Laukkaing into a wealthy center of gambling establishments and red-light districts.

Recently they turned to illegal operations in which numerous of illegally moved workers, a large number of them from China, are ensnared, mistreated and compelled to scam targets in unlawful operations worth billions of dollars.

Details of the Verdict

Mafia leader Bai Suocheng and his son Bai Yingcang were among the group of individuals given to capital punishment by the judicial body. Yang Liqiang, Hu Xiaojiang and Chen Guangyi were the remaining sentenced.

Two individuals of the Bai family syndicate were received conditional death penalties. Several were sentenced to life imprisonment, while nine others were handed prison sentences between three to 20 years.

The Bais, who controlled their own armed group, created forty-one bases to accommodate their online fraud schemes and casinos, authorities said.

Extent of Illegal Operations

These unlawful activities included over 29bn Chinese yuan ($4.1 billion; £3.1 billion). They also caused the fatalities of several Chinese individuals, the self-inflicted death of one and several assaults, reports stated.

The severe punishments delivered by the court are within China's effort to eliminate the extensive fraud operations in South East Asia - and issue a strong message to additional criminal groups.

Background of the Clans

Such families rose to power in the early 2000s with the support of a prominent figure - who currently heads Myanmar's junta. The leader had intended to prop up associates in the town after ousting its previous warlord.

Among the clans, the this family were "absolutely number one", Bai Yingcang before told official sources.

Back then, the clan was the dominant in each of the political and military arenas," the individual stated in a documentary about the Bai family, shown on national media in July.

During the report, a individual at one of their scam centres recalled the mistreatment he had endured at the location: besides being beaten, he had his fingernails extracted with tools and a couple of his digits severed with a kitchen knife.

Further Allegations

The son is among those who were condemned to death in the latest ruling. He has also been independently sentenced of conspiring to smuggle and make eleven tons of methamphetamine, official sources stated.

Downfall of the Families

The families' downfall occurred in 2023 as political winds changed.

For years Chinese authorities has urged the Myanmar junta to control scam activities in the area.

In 2023, the authorities released legal actions for the leading members of these families.

The patriarch, the clan's head, was included in the individuals who were extradited to China from Myanmar in the beginning of the year.

"Why is the Chinese government making significant resources to go after the four families?" a expert commented in the July report.

This serves as a warning individuals, no matter who you are, your location, if you carry out these serious acts affecting the Chinese people, you will be held accountable."