China has executed 11 individuals linked to criminal gangs operating scam centres in northern Myanmar, including key figures behind large-scale telecom fraud operations, Chinese state media reported.
According to state news agency Xinhua, the group was sentenced to death in September 2025 and executed on Jan 29 after their appeals were rejected. The sentences were later approved by China’s Supreme People’s Court.
The individuals were convicted of a range of serious crimes, including intentional homicide, causing grievous bodily harm, unlawful detention, fraud and operating illegal casinos. Authorities said evidence showed their criminal activities had been ongoing since 2015.
Among those executed were members of the notorious Ming family criminal group, which Chinese authorities linked to the deaths of at least 14 Chinese citizens and injuries to many others. The family’s patriarch, Ming Xuechang, reportedly died by suicide while in custody.
Relatives were allowed to meet the condemned individuals prior to the executions.
The Ming family was one of several powerful clans controlling scam and gambling operations in Laukkaing, a town in Myanmar’s Shan State near the Chinese border. Once a quiet area, Laukkaing became a major hub for online fraud, illegal casinos and drug-related crime.
Chinese courts found that members of the Ming family and other groups were responsible for severe abuse at scam centres, including torture and killings of workers. In one case, workers were allegedly shot to prevent them from returning to China.
One of the most infamous sites linked to the group was Crouching Tiger Villa, where victims were reportedly beaten and detained. BBC reported that the Ming family’s scam centres housed at least 10,000 workers and generated more than 10 billion yuan (S$1.8 billion) since 2015.
After ethnic armed groups seized control of the area in 2023, many suspects were detained and later handed over to Chinese authorities.
China has stepped up cooperation with regional governments, including Myanmar, Thailand and Cambodia, to dismantle cross-border scam networks. Thousands of suspects have been repatriated, including more than 7,600 Chinese nationals returned from Myanmar’s Myawaddy region last year.
Despite the intensified crackdown, analysts warn that scam syndicates continue to adapt, with operations shifting to new locations, including Cambodia, even as Myanmar remains a key base.
