A Chinese court has sentenced five top members of an infamous Myanmar mafia to death as Beijing continues its crackdown on scam operations in Southeast Asia.
In all, 21 members of the Bai family and their associates were convicted of various crimes, including fraud, homicide, and injury, according to a state media report. The Bai family stands out among a select few mafias that have gained significant power since the 2000s, transforming the impoverished town of Laukkaing into a bustling center for casinos and illicit activities.
Recently, they shifted focus to trafficking operations where thousands, many of whom are Chinese, are exploited and coerced into committing fraud worth billions.
Mafia boss Bai Suocheng and his son Bai Yingcang were sentenced to death by the Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court, alongside three other key figures: Yang Liqiang, Hu Xiaojiang, and Chen Guangyi.
Two other mafia members received suspended death sentences, while five were handed life imprisonment, and nine received prison terms ranging from three to 20 years. The extent of their crimes has been reported to involve over 29 billion Chinese yuan (approximately $4.1 billion), leading to numerous deaths and severe injuries among victims.
This severe judicial response is part of China's broader campaign to eliminate scam networks across Southeast Asia, aiming to deter other criminal organizations. In September, a similar crackdown resulted in the death sentences of 11 members of another clan operating in Laukkaing.
Many of these families, including the Bais, garnered support from Myanmar's military leaders, strengthening their influence in both political and criminal spheres. Bai Yingcang had previously declared their family as “number one” in the region's power dynamics.
The Chinese government has been pressuring Myanmar to manage and regulate these criminal networks, leading to significant arrests in 2023. The Bai patriarch, Suocheng, was among the warlords extradited from Myanmar in early 2024, underscoring the significant collaboration between the two governments in addressing organized crime.
Officials have stated that the reasoning behind pursuing these mafia leaders is to serve as a cautionary tale: anyone caught committing heinous acts against the Chinese populace will face drastic repercussions.
