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One Chinese judicial body has condemned five leading figures of an infamous Myanmar organized crime group to capital punishment as Beijing continues its efforts on scam operations in Southeast Asian region.

Altogether, 21 Bai family figures and partners were sentenced of scams, murder, assault and various crimes, said a state media report posted on the judicial portal.

The group is among a small number of mafias that rose to power in the 2000s and changed the underdeveloped backwater town of Laukkaing into a profitable center of gambling establishments and red-light districts.

Over the past few years they shifted to scams in which thousands of illegally moved individuals, many of them from China, are caught, harmed and compelled to scam others in illegal enterprises estimated at billions.

Details of the Sentencing

Syndicate leader Bai Suocheng and his heir the younger Bai were among the five individuals given to death by the Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court. Another individual, A third figure and Chen Guangyi were the other three punished.

Two members of the Bai family mafia were given suspended death sentences. Several were condemned to permanent incarceration, while nine others were received jail sentences ranging from three to 20 years.

This family, who led their own militia, created 41 compounds to host their digital scam schemes and betting establishments, government said.

Extent of Unlawful Operations

Such criminal activities included over 29bn local currency ($4.1bn; £3.1bn). They also caused the fatalities of several from China individuals, the suicide of one and multiple assaults, official sources reported.

The strict sentences handed down by the court are part of China's campaign to eliminate the vast fraud rings in Southeast Asia - and deliver a firm signal to further illegal organizations.

History of the Clans

Such families became dominant in the 2000s with the assistance of a prominent figure - who is in charge of Myanmar's junta. The leader had wanted to support partners in Laukkaing after ousting its earlier warlord.

Among the clans, the this family were "the top", Bai Yingcang earlier stated to official sources.

"At that time, our Bai family was the dominant in both the political and armed arenas," he remarked in a documentary about the clan, shown on official channels in the summer.

Within that documentary, a employee at one of illegal operations narrated the harm he had endured at the location: besides being assaulted, he had his fingernails extracted with pliers and two of his digits severed with a blade.

Further Accusations

The son is among those who were given to death in the latest ruling. He has additionally been independently convicted of organizing to smuggle and produce a large quantity of methamphetamine, reports stated.

End of the Families

The families' end happened in last year as circumstances altered.

Previously Chinese authorities has pressed the local government to limit scam schemes in Laukkaing.

In 2023, the Chinese police issued legal actions for the most prominent figures of such clans.

The patriarch, the clan's head, was among the warlords who were transferred to Beijing from Myanmar in the beginning of the year.

For what reason is the Chinese government making so much effort to go after the clans?" a Chinese investigator said in the summer documentary.

This serves as a warning groups, regardless of who you are, your location, as long as you commit these serious offenses targeting the nationals, you will be held accountable."