A Chinese court has sentenced 11 members of the notorious Ming family to death for running one of Asia’s largest cross-border crime syndicates, which generated billions through fraud, drugs, gambling, and human trafficking.
According to state broadcaster CCTV, 39 family members were convicted on Monday in Wenzhou, eastern China.
In addition to the 11 death sentences, five others received suspended executions, 11 were handed life imprisonment, while the rest were sentenced to between five and 24 years in prison.
The court revealed that since 2015, the Ming family had turned Laukkai, a border town in Myanmar’s Shan State, into a hub for online fraud, illegal casinos, narcotics trade, money laundering, and prostitution. Their operations reportedly amassed more than 10 billion yuan ($1.4 billion).
The United Nations previously described Laukkai as the epicenter of the global “scamdemic,” where over 100,000 foreign nationals, many of them Chinese, were lured into compounds, detained, and forced to commit online scams targeting victims worldwide.
At the Ming family’s infamous base, Crouching Tiger Villa, trafficked workers were reportedly tortured, beaten, and even executed when they attempted to escape.
The court cited cases where the family ordered workers shot dead to prevent them from returning to China.
Once considered one of the most powerful clans in Shan State, the Ming family empire began to collapse two years ago when an alliance of insurgent groups, reportedly backed by Beijing, ousted Myanmar’s military from Laukkai and dismantled the syndicate’s stronghold.
Ming Xuechang, the patriarch of the family, is believed to have taken his own life during the crackdown.
Other relatives were captured, extradited to China, and later confessed in court.
The sentencing marks one of Beijing’s strongest crackdowns yet against cross-border crime.
Analysts say it signals China’s determination to dismantle the billion-dollar scam networks that have plagued its citizens and destabilized border regions.
Earlier this year, Thailand, under heavy pressure from Beijing, also launched operations against syndicates operating near its border with Myanmar.
With the Ming empire now dismantled, authorities say the ruling sends a clear message: China will no longer tolerate the scam industry fueling crime, fraud, and human suffering across Asia.
The post China Sentences 11 Mafia Members to Death Over $1.4bn Fraud Empire first appeared on Diaspora Digital Media DDM.
