China on Thursday executed 11 criminals linked to telecom fraud gangs based in northern Myanmar, state media reported, marking the first executions of major scam bosses repatriated from the region.
The executions were carried out by a court in Wenzhou, in eastern China’s Zhejiang Province, after receiving approval from the Supreme People’s Court, according to Xinhua News Agency.
The 11 individuals were sentenced to death in September 2025 for crimes connected to large-scale telecom fraud operations. State media said the group included key figures from criminal networks operating across the China–Myanmar border, which have been blamed for extensive financial losses and serious human rights abuses.
The executed individuals were members of the Ming family, a powerful mafia clan that once controlled Laukkaing, a border town in northern Myanmar. The family ran scam centers, gambling dens, and other illicit businesses, transforming the town into a hub for casinos and online fraud before their operations collapsed in 2023.
According to China’s top court, the Ming family’s activities generated more than CNY10 billion ($1.4 billion) between 2015 and 2023. Their crimes were linked to the deaths of 14 Chinese citizens and injuries to many others. More than 20 additional family members received prison sentences ranging from five years to life, while the clan’s patriarch, Ming Xuechang, died by suicide in 2023 while evading arrest.
Chinese authorities have framed the executions as a deterrent against cross-border telecom fraud. The United Nations estimates that hundreds of thousands of people have been trafficked across Southeast Asia to run online scams, many of them targeting Chinese victims.
