China on Tuesday handed death sentences to five alleged ringleaders of a transnational crime syndicate that operated fraud compounds in Myanmar's lawless Kokang borderlands, state media reported, intensifying a campaign to dismantle sprawling "scam factories" that have victimized millions globally.
A Shenzhen court said the defendants' operations led to "the deaths of six Chinese nationals, one Chinese national's suicide and injuries to several others," and found that they "built 41 compounds in the Kokang region," according to Xinhua. The court also reported authorities tied the network to telecom fraud, gambling dens, homicide, forced prostitution and illegal border crossings.
The verdicts form part of a broader crackdown Beijing has pursued in recent months as it seeks to clamp down on an illicit industry the U.N. says spans continents. The court said the syndicate's activities involved more than 29 billion yuan (about $4.1 billion), and the judges also imposed a range of punishments on other defendants - from suspended death sentences to multi-decade prison terms.
Key data from court filings and reporting:
- 41 compounds built in Kokang, per Xinhua.
- ¥29 billion (≈ $4.1bn) attributed to the network.
- Five defendants sentenced to death; two more given suspended death sentences; five given life terms; nine others sentenced to 3-20 years.
Victims and escapees describe brutal conditions inside the compounds. A 19-year-old Ethiopian who fled one site told Reuters: "I got a lot of punishments, like I receive shock, electric shock everyday. I received punch everyday," identified in coverage as Yotor. He added, "They just want to punish us, and they punish us. Because, like, we were working for 18 hours without salary, without, like they did not allow us to contact our family."
The judgment follows a series of high-profile repatriations and raids across Southeast Asia. Thailand reported large flows of people fleeing nearby hubs after recent enforcement actions; "Nearly 500 Indians are at Mae Sot," Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters on Oct. 29, adding New Delhi would arrange flights for returnees.
Analysts say Myanmar's post-coup fragmentation has created a permissive environment for transnational syndicates to flourish, with local militias and corrupt officials often complicit. The U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime estimates hundreds of thousands are employed in scam centers worldwide and that the illicit trade extracts tens of billions of dollars annually.
The case centers on clans that rose to regional power in the 2000s by building casinos and militias in Laukkaing before pivoting to cyber-fraud. Bai Suocheng and his son Bai Yingcang - named among those sentenced - featured prominently in state media reporting. In a documentary cited by Chinese outlets, Bai Yingcang said of his family's former standing: "At that time, our Bai family was the most powerful in both the political and military circles."
