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A Chinese judicial body has sentenced five leading members of a well-known Myanmar organized crime group to death as Beijing maintains its efforts on fraudulent operations in the region.

In all, 21 Bai family members and associates were sentenced of fraud, homicide, assault and other offenses, said a official announcement published on the judicial website.

The family is among a handful of organized crime groups that became dominant in the last two decades and changed the poor backwater town of Laukkaing into a profitable hub of gambling establishments and nightlife areas.

Recently they shifted to fraudulent schemes in which numerous of trafficked individuals, a large number of them Chinese, are caught, abused and compelled to defraud others in illegal activities estimated at billions of dollars.

Details of the Sentencing

Mafia boss Bai Suocheng and his son Bai Yingcang were included in the several individuals condemned to death by the Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court. Another individual, A third figure and Chen Guangyi were the remaining punished.

Two members of the clan syndicate were received delayed executions. Several were given to permanent incarceration, while additional individuals were given jail sentences ranging from a period of 3-20 years.

The clan, who commanded their own armed group, established forty-one bases to house their digital scam operations and casinos, authorities stated.

Scale of Illegal Operations

Such criminal enterprises involved exceeding 29bn local currency ($4.1bn; £3.1bn). These activities also caused the deaths of six from China citizens, the self-inflicted death of an individual and several injuries, state media reported.

The severe sentences issued by the judicial body are part of China's campaign to remove the large fraud operations in Southeast Asia - and issue a strong signal to additional unlawful organizations.

Background of the Clans

Such clans rose to power in the early 2000s with the help of a prominent figure - who now leads the country's junta. The leader had intended to prop up allies in Laukkaing after ousting its earlier warlord.

Among the groups, the Bais were "the most powerful", the son earlier informed state media.

"At that time, we was the most powerful in both the government and armed circles," the individual stated in a documentary about the Bai family, broadcast on Chinese state media in the summer.

During the documentary, a individual at one of illegal operations recalled the mistreatment he had experienced at the location: besides being beaten, he had his fingernails removed with pliers and two of his fingers amputated with a tool.

Further Charges

The son is among those who were condemned to death this week. He has also been separately found guilty of planning to smuggle and produce 11 tonnes of methamphetamine, reports announced.

Decline of the Families

The families' downfall came in recent times as political winds altered.

Previously Chinese authorities has urged the regime to limit scam schemes in Laukkaing.

In 2023, the law enforcement announced detention orders for the key figures of such clans.

Bai Suocheng, the clan's head, was among the individuals who were handed to China from the country in the beginning of the year.

"Why is the Chinese government making significant resources to go after the four families?" a expert commented in the July film.

This serves as a warning other people, regardless of your identity, your location, if you commit these terrible offenses against the Chinese people, you will face consequences."