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A China's court has handed down death sentences to several prominent members of a notorious Myanmar organized crime group to death as Chinese authorities persists in its crackdown on fraudulent activities in South East Asia.

In all, 21 Bai family figures and partners were sentenced of fraud, homicide, injury and various offenses, stated a official announcement published on the court website.

This clan is among a small number of syndicates that rose to power in the last two decades and converted the underdeveloped backwater town of Laukkaing into a lucrative center of gambling establishments and nightlife areas.

In recent years they pivoted to fraudulent schemes in which many of trafficked workers, many of them Chinese, are trapped, harmed and forced to defraud targets in criminal enterprises estimated at billions.

Details of the Sentencing

Syndicate leader the patriarch and his son Bai Yingcang were among the five individuals given to death by the Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court. Another individual, Hu Xiaojiang and Chen Guangyi were the additional convicted.

A couple of individuals of the Bai family syndicate were received conditional death penalties. Several were given to life in prison, while additional individuals were handed prison terms between several years to two decades.

The Bais, who controlled their own private army, set up forty-one bases to house their digital scam operations and gambling houses, government said.

Scale of Unlawful Activities

Such criminal enterprises involved exceeding 29bn local currency ($4.1 billion; over three billion pounds). They also caused the fatalities of six Chinese citizens, the suicide of an individual and numerous assaults, official sources stated.

The harsh penalties handed down by the court are a component of China's campaign to remove the extensive fraud rings in the region - and send a strong warning to additional unlawful syndicates.

History of the Groups

Such groups became dominant in the recent decades with the help of a prominent figure - who now leads the country's junta. The leader had wanted to support associates in the town after removing its former warlord.

Among the families, the Bais were "the top", Bai Yingcang before told state media.

Back then, the clan was the most powerful in both the political and military circles," the individual said in a film about the Bai family, shown on Chinese state media in the summer.

During the documentary, a individual at one of fraud facilities recalled the abuse he had suffered there: besides being hit, he had his fingernails removed with instruments and two of his digits cut off with a kitchen knife.

More Allegations

The son is among those who were condemned to execution this week. The individual has also been separately sentenced of organizing to smuggle and make a large quantity of illegal drugs, state media announced.

Decline of the Clans

The families' end came in last year as circumstances changed.

For years Chinese authorities has encouraged the regime to rein in fraudulent operations in Laukkaing.

Last year, the law enforcement released legal actions for the leading individuals of these groups.

The patriarch, the clan's head, was among the individuals who were transferred to Beijing from the country in early 2024.

"Why is the state putting such extensive work to go after the clans?" a Chinese investigator commented in the summer documentary.

This serves as a warning other people, regardless of who you are, where you are, as long as you commit these terrible crimes against the Chinese people, you will face consequences."