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A Chinese judicial body has condemned several top members of a notorious Myanmar mafia to execution as Beijing continues its efforts on fraudulent operations in Southeast Asian region.

Altogether, 21 clan members and associates were convicted of scams, homicide, injury and other crimes, reported a official report posted on the court portal.

The group is among a handful of mafias that became dominant in the last two decades and changed the underdeveloped remote area of the town into a wealthy hub of casinos and entertainment zones.

Over the past few years they turned to fraudulent schemes in which numerous of illegally moved people, many of them from China, are caught, harmed and forced to cheat targets in illegal operations estimated at huge sums.

Details of the Judgment

Mafia leader the patriarch and his son the younger Bai were among the five men condemned to execution by the judicial body. Yang Liqiang, A third figure and Chen Guangyi were the other three convicted.

Two individuals of the clan mafia were given delayed executions. Five were sentenced to permanent incarceration, while additional individuals were given jail terms between a period of 3-20 years.

The clan, who commanded their own militia, established 41 facilities to house their cyberscam operations and betting establishments, authorities reported.

Scale of Illegal Activities

Such unlawful operations involved over 29bn local currency (over four billion dollars; over three billion pounds). They also resulted in the deaths of several from China individuals, the suicide of an individual and numerous assaults, reports reported.

The severe sentences issued by the judicial body are within the Chinese campaign to remove the extensive scam networks in the region - and issue a stern message to further criminal syndicates.

Background of the Clans

These clans gained influence in the early 2000s with the assistance of Min Aung Hlaing - who now leads Myanmar's regime. The leader had aimed to bolster partners in Laukkaing after removing its previous warlord.

Among the clans, the this family were "the most powerful", Bai Yingcang earlier informed state media.

Back then, the clan was the dominant in both the political and armed circles," he said in a film about the Bai family, shown on national media in July.

In the same report, a employee at one of fraud facilities recalled the abuse he had endured there: besides being assaulted, he had his fingernails extracted with tools and a couple of his fingers severed with a blade.

Additional Allegations

Bai Yingcang is included in those who were sentenced to execution this week. He has also been independently convicted of planning to smuggle and manufacture 11 tonnes of illegal drugs, reports reported.

End of the Groups

The families' fall came in 2023 as situations altered.

For years Beijing has encouraged the regime to control fraudulent operations in Laukkaing.

Recently, the Chinese police announced legal actions for the most prominent figures of such clans.

Bai Suocheng, the Bai family's head, was among the individuals who were handed to China from Myanmar in early 2024.

"Why is the Chinese government making so much effort to target the four families?" a expert stated in the July film.

"It's to warn other people, no matter who you are, where you are, as long as you carry out these serious offenses against the nationals, you will be held accountable."