🔗 Share this article Chinese Courts Sentences Notorious Burmese Fraud Mafia Leaders to Death The Patriarch, Head of the Prominent Family, Among the Myanmar Figures Transferred to Beijing in Recent Times A Chinese judicial body has sentenced several leading individuals of a well-known Myanmar organized crime group to death as Beijing continues its crackdown on fraudulent networks in South East Asia. In all, twenty-one Bai family members and associates were found guilty of scams, homicide, assault and additional crimes, said a state media report published on the court website. The family is among a small number of mafias that gained influence in the early 2000s and transformed the poor isolated region of the town into a profitable center of gambling establishments and entertainment zones. Over the past few years they turned to illegal operations in which numerous of smuggled individuals, a large number of them from China, are ensnared, mistreated and forced to defraud others in unlawful activities valued at billions. Specifics of the Sentencing Mafia head Bai Suocheng and his son Bai Yingcang were among the several men condemned to death by the judicial body. Yang Liqiang, Hu Xiaojiang and A fourth person were the additional convicted. A couple of individuals of the Bai family syndicate were received conditional death penalties. Several were sentenced to life imprisonment, while more figures were received jail sentences varying from several years to two decades. The clan, who commanded their own militia, established 41 bases to host their digital scam operations and gambling houses, officials said. Extent of Criminal Operations These unlawful enterprises involved more than twenty-nine billion Chinese yuan ($4.1 billion; over three billion pounds). They also resulted in the deaths of six Chinese nationals, the suicide of an individual and several injuries, state media stated. The strict punishments handed down by the judicial body are part of China's effort to eradicate the large fraud rings in the region - and deliver a strong signal to other unlawful organizations. History of the Families These groups gained influence in the 2000s with the support of a prominent figure - who is in charge of Myanmar's junta. He had aimed to prop up allies in Laukkaing after removing its previous leader. Among the families, the Bais were "absolutely number one", Bai Yingcang before told state media. During that period, we was the dominant in each of the government and armed circles," he stated in a film about the Bai family, broadcast on official channels in July. During the report, a employee at their their scam centres described the abuse he had endured there: in addition to being assaulted, he had his nails removed with instruments and a couple of his digits cut off with a blade. Additional Accusations Bai Yingcang is among those who were sentenced to execution this week. He has also been independently sentenced of conspiring to smuggle and produce 11 tonnes of methamphetamine, state media reported. Decline of the Groups The families' downfall came in last year as circumstances shifted. Over a long period Chinese authorities has encouraged the regime to control fraudulent operations in the area. Recently, the Chinese police issued detention orders for the most prominent figures of these groups. The patriarch, the Bai family's patriarch, was among the figures who were handed to China from the country in the beginning of the year. "Why is the state making so much effort to pursue the clans?" a Chinese investigator stated in the July documentary. "It's to warn individuals, regardless of your position, your base, when you engage in such heinous crimes affecting the citizens, you will pay the price."