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A Chinese court has handed down death sentences to a group of top figures of a well-known Myanmar organized crime group to execution as Beijing maintains its crackdown on scam activities in Southeast Asian region.

Overall, twenty-one clan figures and partners were convicted of fraud, homicide, assault and additional crimes, said a official announcement published on the judicial portal.

This clan is among a handful of mafias that rose to power in the 2000s and transformed the impoverished remote area of the town into a lucrative hub of casinos and red-light districts.

Over the past few years they pivoted to scams in which numerous of trafficked workers, a large number of them Chinese, are caught, harmed and compelled to defraud targets in illegal enterprises estimated at billions of dollars.

Information of the Verdict

Syndicate boss Bai Suocheng and his heir the younger Bai were among the several figures given to death by the Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court. Yang Liqiang, A third figure and Chen Guangyi were the other three convicted.

A couple of individuals of the Bai family mafia were given conditional death penalties. Five were given to permanent incarceration, while nine others were given prison terms between a period of 3-20 years.

The Bais, who controlled their own militia, created forty-one bases to host their online fraud operations and casinos, government reported.

Extent of Unlawful Schemes

These unlawful operations involved exceeding 29bn yuan ($4.1 billion; £3.1bn). These activities also caused the fatalities of six Chinese citizens, the self-inflicted death of one and numerous assaults, official sources announced.

The strict punishments handed down by the judicial body are part of China's campaign to remove the large scam operations in Southeast Asia - and deliver a stern message to other unlawful groups.

Context of the Clans

These families rose to power in the early 2000s with the help of a prominent figure - who now leads the country's junta. He had wanted to support allies in Laukkaing after replacing its former ruler.

Within the families, the this family were "the most powerful", the son previously informed state media.

Back then, we was the leading in both the government and armed arenas," the individual said in a report about the clan, shown on Chinese state media in July.

During the film, a worker at their their scam centres described the abuse he had experienced there: in addition to being hit, he had his nails removed with tools and two of his digits amputated with a kitchen knife.

Additional Charges

The son is among those who were given to death recently. He has also been separately sentenced of planning to traffic and make 11 tonnes of narcotics, state media reported.

Decline of the Families

Their downfall happened in recent times as circumstances altered.

Previously Beijing has pressed the regime to limit fraudulent operations in the area.

Last year, the law enforcement announced arrest warrants for the leading figures of these groups.

Bai Suocheng, the clan's head, was among the figures who were transferred to Beijing from the country in early 2024.

For what reason is the authorities putting significant resources to pursue the groups?" a expert stated in the July documentary.

The purpose is to caution groups, regardless of who you are, your location, when you engage in such heinous crimes targeting the Chinese people, you will pay the price."