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One Chinese judicial body has sentenced five prominent figures of a well-known Myanmar organized crime group to death as Beijing maintains its crackdown on fraudulent operations in South East Asia.

In all, 21 Bai family members and associates were convicted of fraud, homicide, assault and additional offenses, reported a official document posted on the judicial portal.

The group is among a few of mafias that became dominant in the 2000s and transformed the impoverished isolated region of the town into a wealthy center of casinos and nightlife areas.

Over the past few years they shifted to illegal operations in which thousands of smuggled workers, a large number of them from China, are trapped, abused and obligated to scam victims in criminal operations worth huge sums.

Information of the Verdict

Mafia leader the patriarch and his heir the younger Bai were included in the group of individuals condemned to capital punishment by the Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court. Yang Liqiang, Hu Xiaojiang and Chen Guangyi were the additional convicted.

Two members of the Bai family syndicate were received conditional death penalties. Several were condemned to life imprisonment, while additional individuals were received prison terms ranging from a period of 3-20 years.

The clan, who led their own armed group, set up forty-one facilities to house their digital scam schemes and gambling houses, officials reported.

Magnitude of Unlawful Operations

These criminal activities entailed exceeding 29 billion local currency ($4.1bn; £3.1bn). These activities also led to the demise of several Chinese nationals, the suicide of an individual and numerous injuries, reports announced.

The severe penalties issued by the judicial body are a component of the Chinese campaign to eliminate the extensive scam networks in Southeast Asia - and deliver a strong message to further illegal groups.

Context of the Groups

Such groups became dominant in the early 2000s with the support of Min Aung Hlaing - who now leads Myanmar's junta. He had intended to prop up allies in the town after ousting its former ruler.

Among the families, the Bais were "absolutely number one", Bai Yingcang previously informed official sources.

During that period, our Bai family was the leading in both the government and military arenas," he remarked in a film about the clan, broadcast on Chinese state media in the summer.

During the film, a worker at their illegal operations narrated the mistreatment he had suffered at the location: besides being hit, he had his fingernails extracted with pliers and two of his digits cut off with a kitchen knife.

Further Accusations

The son is among those who were given to execution this week. He has also been independently sentenced of organizing to trade and manufacture eleven tons of narcotics, state media reported.

Downfall of the Groups

Their downfall happened in last year as circumstances shifted.

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

Last year, the authorities announced detention orders for the leading individuals of these groups.

Bai Suocheng, the clan's head, was among the warlords who were extradited to Beijing from Myanmar in early 2024.

For what reason is the authorities making significant resources to pursue the groups?" a official said in the July report.

The purpose is to caution groups, no matter your position, your location, as long as you commit such serious offenses affecting the citizens, you will be held accountable."