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One China's court has condemned several leading figures of an infamous Myanmar mafia to execution as Beijing persists in its campaign on scam activities in South East Asia.

Altogether, 21 clan figures and partners were sentenced of scams, murder, injury and other crimes, stated a state media announcement released on the court portal.

The group is among a few of syndicates that rose to power in the 2000s and transformed the underdeveloped backwater town of the town into a profitable base of casinos and entertainment zones.

In recent years they shifted to scams in which many of illegally moved workers, a large number of them from China, are trapped, abused and forced to cheat victims in unlawful enterprises worth billions of dollars.

Information of the Judgment

Syndicate leader Bai Suocheng and his offspring the younger Bai were among the five individuals sentenced to capital punishment by the Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court. Another individual, A third figure and Chen Guangyi were the remaining convicted.

A couple of figures of the clan mafia were received conditional death penalties. Several were condemned to life in prison, while nine others were handed jail sentences varying from three to 20 years.

The clan, who commanded their own armed group, set up 41 facilities to house their digital scam activities and betting establishments, government reported.

Magnitude of Unlawful Operations

Such unlawful enterprises entailed over twenty-nine billion yuan ($4.1bn; £3.1bn). They also led to the fatalities of several Chinese nationals, the self-inflicted death of one and multiple assaults, official sources reported.

The severe penalties handed down by the judicial body are part of the Chinese campaign to remove the extensive fraud operations in Southeast Asia - and issue a strong warning to additional criminal organizations.

Context of the Groups

These families rose to power in the 2000s with the assistance of Min Aung Hlaing - who is in charge of the country's junta. He had aimed to prop up allies in Laukkaing after replacing its former leader.

Within the clans, the Bais were "the most powerful", Bai Yingcang earlier told official sources.

Back then, we was the most powerful in each of the government and armed arenas," the individual said in a documentary about the Bai family, shown on official channels in July.

In the same documentary, a worker at one of their scam centres recalled the harm he had experienced at the location: in addition to being hit, he had his fingernails yanked out with pliers and two of his digits amputated with a kitchen knife.

Additional Charges

The son is included in those who were sentenced to execution this week. He has additionally been separately sentenced of planning to trade and manufacture a large quantity of methamphetamine, official sources reported.

Decline of the Families

The families' downfall happened in 2023 as circumstances changed.

Previously Chinese authorities has urged the Myanmar junta to rein in scam schemes in the area.

Recently, the authorities released arrest warrants for the key individuals of these families.

The patriarch, the clan's head, was included in the figures who were handed to Beijing from the country in recent months.

"Why is the state putting so much effort to pursue the four families?" a expert commented in the summer report.

The purpose is to caution other people, no matter your position, your location, when you carry out such serious acts targeting the Chinese people, you will be held accountable."