Femi Ashekun/
China has executed 11 members of the notorious Ming family crime syndicate, a powerful gang that ran large scale scam operations in northern Myanmar and was accused of killing workers who attempted to flee, according to Chinese state media.
The Ming family was one of the so called “four families” that dominated criminal activity in parts of northern Myanmar.
The syndicates were linked to hundreds of fortified compounds involved in online fraud, prostitution and drug production, and were known to wield significant influence through close ties to local authorities and militia groups aligned with Myanmar’s ruling junta.
Xinhua news agency reported on Thursday that the 11 individuals were sentenced to death in September after being convicted of crimes including homicide, illegal detention and fraud.
Two of the defendants appealed against their sentences, prompting a review by the Supreme People’s Court, which ultimately upheld the original rulings.
The syndicate was led by Ming Xuechang and was closely associated with Crouching Tiger Villa, an infamous compound in Kokang, a self administered region on Myanmar’s border with China.
At its height, the group employed about 10,000 people to carry out scams and other criminal activities, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
Kokang’s capital, Laukkaing, became a central hub of a multibillion dollar scam industry that flourished in poorly governed border areas of Myanmar.
Many of the workers were trafficked and forced to defraud victims around the world through sophisticated online schemes.
Following years of complaints from families of trafficked workers and increasing international scrutiny, Chinese authorities launched a major crackdown on the scam compounds in 2023.
In November of that year, arrest warrants were issued for members of the Ming family, with rewards ranging from 100,000 to 500,000 yuan offered for information leading to their capture.
Ming Xuechang, who had previously served as a member of a Myanmar state parliament, later died by suicide while in custody, according to Chinese state media at the time.
Among those executed were his son, Ming Guoping, a senior figure in the junta aligned Kokang Border Guard Force, and his granddaughter, Ming Zhenzhen.
Xinhua said the condemned individuals were allowed to meet close relatives before their executions were carried out.
The Ming family was also accused of collaborating with another syndicate leader, Wu Hongming, who was executed separately.
Prosecutors said the groups conspired to kill, injure and illegally detain scam workers, actions that led to the deaths of at least 14 Chinese nationals.
In one incident in October 2023, four people were killed after members of the gang allegedly opened fire at a scam compound.
CCTV reported that the shooting occurred as armed guards were transferring workers after learning that police were planning a raid.
Scam networks operating across Southeast Asia are estimated to steal more than 43 billion dollars annually, according to the United States Institute of Peace, a body founded by the US Congress.
In Myanmar, entrenched corruption, weak governance and nearly five years of civil war have enabled criminal syndicates and allied armed groups to expand their operations with little resistance.
Asked about the executions on Thursday, a spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry said Beijing would continue to intensify efforts to eradicate what it described as the scourge of gambling and fraud.
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