A Chinese court has carried out the death sentence for 11 members of the Ming family, a criminal syndicate that ran extensive fraud and gambling operations from Myanmar, state media confirmed on Thursday.
The executions followed the final rejection of their appeals by China’s Supreme People’s Court in November 2025.
The group, often dubbed the “Ming mafia,” was convicted last September by a court in Zhejiang province for a litany of crimes including homicide, illegal detention, large-scale cross-border fraud, and operating illegal gambling dens.
The Ming clan was a key power in controlling Laukkaing, a Myanmar town bordering China’s Yunnan province.
Under their influence, the once-sleepy area was transformed into a garish centre for casinos and scam compounds.
According to China’s highest court, their criminal enterprises amassed over 10 billion yuan ($1.4 billion) between 2015 and 2023.
Their reign ended abruptly in 2023 when they were detained and handed over to Chinese authorities by ethnic militias that seized control of Laukkaing amid Myanmar’s ongoing civil war.
The court found that the Ming family’s operations directly led to the deaths of 14 Chinese citizens, with many others injured.
Their scam centres were part of a vast network that trafficked hundreds of thousands of people, often fellow Chinese nationals lured by fake job offers abroad. Once trapped, these victims were forced to conduct online scams targeting people overseas.
Public anger in China over these schemes has grown in recent years, fueled by viral stories of citizens being kidnapped and coerced into the scam industry.
The case underscores Beijing’s intense focus on cracking down on cross-border criminal groups that target Chinese citizens, even when they are based beyond its borders.
