Chinese authorities have executed 11 individuals linked to the notorious “Ming family” crime syndicate, marking a significant escalation in Beijing’s crackdown on cross-border scam and fraud operations operating out of northern Myanmar.
The executions were carried out on January 29, 2026, after the defendants were sentenced to death in September 2025 by the Wenzhou Intermediate People’s Court in Zhejiang province, in eastern China. The court found overwhelming evidence that the group had committed a series of violent and organised crimes, including intentional homicide, illegal detention, fraud, and operating illegal gambling dens.
The Ming Crime Syndicate and Its Crimes
The Ming family, considered one of the “four families” that dominated organised crime in northern Myanmar’s Kokang region, ran a sprawling network of criminal operations from the border town of Laukkaing. These included:
Large-scale online scam compounds focused on telecom and internet fraud.
Illegal gambling establishments and casinos that generated hundreds of millions of dollars.
Human trafficking and forced labour, where workers were allegedly detained, abused, or killed when they tried to escape.
Violent acts, including murders linked to silencing workers or eliminating rivals.
Chinese authorities reported that the syndicate’s activities resulted in the deaths of at least 14 Chinese citizens and caused serious injuries to others. The combined fraud and gambling operations involved more than 10 billion yuan (around $1.4 billion) in illicit proceeds, according to state media.
Legal Process and Appeals
After the September death sentences, some of the convicted appealed to the Zhejiang Higher People’s Court, but their appeals were rejected in November 2025. The case was then reviewed and upheld by China’s Supreme People’s Court, which confirmed the verdicts and authorised the executions.
Before the executions were carried out, close relatives of the deceased were reportedly allowed to meet with them, as part of procedural requirements under Chinese law.
How They Were Captured
The key members of the syndicate were arrested in November 2023 after years of Chinese pressure on local authorities in border areas shared with Myanmar to take action against scam centres. Myanmar’s military and ethnic militias shifted control of parts of the region during ongoing conflict, eventually detaining several crime family members and handing them over to Chinese authorities.
Regional Context: Scam Operations in Southeast Asia
These scam centres are part of a multibillion-dollar illicit industry centred in Southeast Asia’s borderlands — including Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos — where lawlessness has allowed fraud compounds to flourish. Many such operations lure or traffic Chinese and foreign workers into scam parks where they are forced to run telecom fraud, fake investment schemes, and other deceitful operations targeting victims globally.
International law enforcement and regional governments have been under growing pressure to dismantle these networks. China, the United States, and other nations have increasingly worked with Myanmar and neighbouring countries on anti-fraud enforcement and to repatriate thousands of trafficked workers.
Official Statements
At a press briefing on January 29, the Chinese foreign ministry reiterated its commitment to tackling cross-border telecom fraud and online gambling, stating that China will continue cooperative efforts with Southeast Asian partners to safeguard citizens and regional security.
The executions highlight Beijing’s zero-tolerance approach to organised crime targeting Chinese citizens, especially crimes involving violence and exploitation. They also reflect growing regional cooperation aimed at suppressing the proliferation of online scam compounds — a network that international bodies estimate has defrauded victims of tens of billions of dollars worldwide.
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