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A Chinese court has sentenced several prominent members of a well-known Myanmar organized crime group to capital punishment as Beijing continues its efforts on fraudulent networks in South East Asia.

Altogether, twenty-one clan individuals and collaborators were convicted of fraud, murder, assault and additional crimes, said a state media announcement released on the court portal.

The group is among a handful of syndicates that rose to power in the 2000s and transformed the poor backwater town of Laukkaing into a profitable center of gambling establishments and red-light districts.

Recently they shifted to illegal operations in which numerous of trafficked workers, many of them from China, are trapped, abused and obligated to defraud others in criminal enterprises estimated at billions.

Specifics of the Judgment

Syndicate boss Bai Suocheng and his heir Bai Yingcang were among the group of men condemned to death by the court in Shenzhen. Yang Liqiang, Hu Xiaojiang and Chen Guangyi were the additional punished.

A couple of figures of the clan syndicate were received delayed executions. Five were sentenced to life in prison, while additional individuals were received prison sentences ranging from three to 20 years.

The Bais, who commanded their own private army, set up 41 compounds to accommodate their cyberscam operations and gambling houses, authorities stated.

Scale of Unlawful Schemes

These criminal enterprises entailed exceeding twenty-nine billion yuan (over four billion dollars; over three billion pounds). These activities also led to the fatalities of several Chinese nationals, the self-inflicted death of one and several injuries, official sources reported.

The strict penalties issued by the judicial body are a component of China's campaign to eradicate the vast fraud operations in the region - and send a strong warning to additional unlawful organizations.

Context of the Clans

These families rose to power in the early 2000s with the help of a military leader - who is in charge of Myanmar's military government. The leader had wanted to bolster allies in Laukkaing after replacing its previous ruler.

Among the families, the Bais were "the most powerful", Bai Yingcang previously told official sources.

"At that time, the clan was the most powerful in both the government and armed circles," the individual said in a report about the clan, broadcast on national media in July.

In the same documentary, a employee at one of fraud facilities described the abuse he had suffered at the location: in addition to being hit, he had his fingernails removed with tools and a couple of his digits amputated with a blade.

More Accusations

The son is among those who were sentenced to death this week. He has also been independently found guilty of organizing to trade and manufacture eleven tons of methamphetamine, state media stated.

Decline of the Families

Their downfall happened in recent times as circumstances changed.

For years Chinese authorities has encouraged the Myanmar junta to control fraudulent activities in Laukkaing.

Last year, the Chinese police issued legal actions for the leading figures of such families.

Bai Suocheng, the Bai family's leader, was among the individuals who were extradited to Beijing from the country in the beginning of the year.

"Why is the Chinese government making such extensive work to target the four families?" a official said in the July film.

"It's to warn individuals, regardless of who you are, your location, when you engage in such heinous acts targeting the citizens, you will be held accountable."