Eleven members of mafia family that made more than a billion a year executed
China has executed 11 members of a mafia family responsible for running a scam empire worth over a $1 billion.
Several members of the Ming family were arrested and charged with numerous crimes, including homicide, illegal detention, fraud and operating gambling establishments in north-eastern Myanmar.
Active between 2015 and 2023, the Ming family were one of several crime syndicates that operated scams targeting mainly Chinese speakers from the town of Laukkaing.
It's believed the illegal activities brought in over 10bn yuan, equivalent to $1.4 billion or £1 billion, during the years they were active, according to the BBC. The group's crimes are understood to have led to the deaths of 14 Chinese citizens as well as injuries to several others.
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The family were eventually arrested in 2023 and extradited to China to face trial.
In September, several key members of the family, including Ming Guoping, Ming Zhenzhen, Zhou Weichang, Wu Hongming and Luao Jianzhang, were found guilty and handed a death sentence by a court in China's Zhejiang province.
Following the handing of their death sentence, the group attempted to appeal it, however, it was denied, and on Thursday, the Wenzhou City Intermediate People's Court announced that the sentences had been carried out.
More than 20 other members of the family were handed custodial sentences, ranging between five years and life, while the group's patriarch, Ming Xuechang, reportedly took his own life in 2023 to avoid facing justice.
What are the Myanmar scam centres?
In recent years, scam centres have been operated in the border regions of Myanmar, with a 2023 UN report estimating that as many as 120,000 people were kidnapped and forced to work in the enterprises.
Disguised as business parks, the centres had been in operation in the north-eastern Shan State, along the country's border with China.
Operations in the area were ultimately thwarted by the Chinese state in 2023, when they backed local militias in the lawless region, leading to the capture of the Ming's and members of other key crime families.
The Mings were the first family to face justice in Chinese courts, with five members of the Bai family also awaiting execution, while defendants from the Wei and Liu families are yet to be sentenced.
Meanwhile, scam operations in Myanmar have now largely relocated to the border with Thailand.
Operations in this area include the notorious KK Park, which The Guardian reports was raided back in October 2025 in order to combat fraud and illegal gambling in the area.
Over 2000 people were detained in the raid, while smuggled Starlink satellite terminals were confiscated.
Topics: World News, Crime
Brenna Cooper