A Chinese court has sentenced five top members of an infamous Myanmar mafia to death as Beijing continues its crackdown on scam operations in South East Asia.
In all, 21 Bai family members and associates were convicted of fraud, homicide, injury, and other crimes, according to a state media report published on the court’s website.
The Bai family is among a handful of mafias that rose to power in the 2000s, transforming the impoverished town of Laukkaing into a lucrative hub of casinos and red-light districts.
In recent years, their operations pivoted to scams that ensnared thousands of trafficked workers, many of whom were Chinese, who were trapped, abused, and forced to defraud others in criminal enterprises worth billions.
Mafia boss Bai Suocheng and his son Bai Yingcang were among those sentenced to death by the Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court. Another three members, Yang Liqiang, Hu Xiaojiang, and Chen Guangyi, also received the death penalty.
Two were handed suspended death sentences, while others received life imprisonment or prison terms ranging from three to 20 years.
The Bais controlled a militia and established 41 compounds for their cyber scam operations and casinos, amassing criminal earnings of over 29 billion Chinese yuan ($4.1 billion), leading to multiple deaths and injuries among victims.
The harsh penalties reflect China's intensified campaign to eradicate extensive scam networks and serve as a stark warning to other criminal syndicates.
Earlier this year, a Chinese court similarly sentenced 11 members of the Ming family, another notorious mafia from Laukkaing, to death.
The Bai family, which historically gained support from Myanmar's military government under Min Aung Hlaing, had been considered politically and militarily dominant in the region.
A detailed documentary on state media featured Bai Yingcang acknowledging their power, while testimonies from victims highlighted the severe abuses, including torture and death threats within their operations.
The crackdown on these families marks a significant shift in political winds, as Chinese authorities increase pressure on Myanmar to control its criminal networks.
In response to inquiries about the rationale behind targeting these four families, a Chinese investigator emphasized that the actions serve as a warning that heinous crimes against the Chinese populace will lead to severe repercussions.
