China has sentenced 16 members of a single family to death within a day. A Chinese court handed down the death penalty to 16 members of the Ming family on Monday, a family implicated in running a fraud center in Myanmar. The action was taken against the Ming family by a Chinese court. Dozens of family members were found guilty of criminal activities, with several receiving lengthy prison sentences. The Ming family was one of the four clans that turned Laukkaing, a small town in Myanmar near the Chinese border, into a hub for gambling, drugs, and fraud centers.
In 2023, Myanmar took action and arrested several members of these families, handing them over to China. Subsequently, China took strict action against the family. A total of 39 members of the Ming family were sentenced on Monday in Wenzhou, a city in eastern China.
Of the 39 family members, 11 were sentenced to death, 5 received death sentences with a two-year suspension, 11 were sentenced to life imprisonment, and the rest received sentences ranging from 5 to 24 years. The court found that from 2015, the Ming family and other criminal groups were involved in telecom fraud, illegal casinos, drug trafficking, and prostitution. According to the court, their gambling and fraud businesses generated 10 billion yuan (approximately $1.4 billion). It is believed that the casinos run by these families transacted billions of dollars annually.
The court also stated that the Ming family and other gangs were responsible for the deaths of laborers at several fraud centers. In one instance, they shot laborers to prevent them from returning to China. Initially, this business began to meet the high demand for gambling in China, as gambling is illegal in China and neighboring countries. Gradually, the casinos in Laukkaing turned into fronts for money laundering, trafficking, and fraud centers.
These centers have been called the engine room of the Scamdemic by the United Nations, where over 100,000 foreign citizens (mostly Chinese) were trapped in fraud centers and forced to work for long periods for online scams.
The Ming family was once one of the most powerful families in Shan State, Myanmar. They held at least 10,000 laborers in fraud centers in Laukkaing, including the notorious “Crouching Tiger Villa,” where laborers were regularly beaten and tortured.
Two years ago, an alliance of rebel groups launched a major attack, driving the Myanmar army from a large part of Shan State and capturing Laukkaing. It is believed that China, which has considerable influence over these groups, gave the green light to this attack.
Ming Xuechang, the head of the Ming family, allegedly committed suicide, while the other members were handed over to China. Some also expressed remorse in court. Thousands of people working in fraud centers were also handed over to the Chinese police.
Through these sentences, China has sent a message that it will deal strictly with the fraud business on its border. Under pressure from Beijing, Thailand also took action against fraud centers on the Myanmar border this year. However, this business has changed its methods. A large part of it now operates in Cambodia, although it continues in Myanmar as well.
