Chinese authorities have executed 11 members of the Ming family for running scam compounds and illegal gambling operations in Myanmar that generated more than $1.4 billion, following convictions for murder, fraud and organised crime.
The executions followed a September ruling by a court in Zhejiang province, where judges said China had jurisdiction because the victims of the crimes were Chinese nationals.
“For some time, China has been actively working with Myanmar and other countries in combating crimes of cross-border telecom and online fraud,”
Said Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, adding that the efforts had “achieved remarkable results”.
Court documents said the Ming family’s scam compounds were linked to the detention and abuse of workers, resulting in at least 14 deaths, as Beijing steps up a wider crackdown on transnational fraud networks operating in Myanmar.
Scam compounds across Southeast Asia were responsible for more than $9 billion in crypto-related fraud losses in 2024, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with many schemes using digital assets to move stolen funds.
Last year, Interpol warned that such compounds had become a global criminal threat, affecting victims in more than 60 countries through online scams, human trafficking and forced labour.
The Ming clan, one of four powerful families that dominated crime in northern Myanmar for years, was dismantled after a Chinese-backed insurgency in 2023 led to the extradition of dozens of suspects to China, where further cases against rival families remain ongoing.