China carried out the death penalty on 11 members of the notorious Ming mafia, a major criminal outfit from the region. State media reported that these individuals were operating online scam networks and illegal gambling dens in Myanmar near the northeastern border.
Earlier in September, a court in Zhejiang province handed down the sentence to members of the Ming mafia after their conviction for serious offenses like murder, illegal detention, fraud, and running unlawful casinos.
The Ming mafia was only one of several powerful gangs that were in control of Laukkai, and through their activities, the once, vulnerable and overlooked town became the center of gambling dens, scam operations, and red light enterprises.
During the fighting between ethnic armed groups and Myanmar’s military, the armed groups took over the town of Laukkai and detained the Ming mafia members, who were then handed over to China. This is why their criminal empire came to an end in 2023.
China’s multiple executions intend to communicate a strong message to potential fraudsters. However, most of these ventures have just relocated to the border between Thailand and Myanmar, as well as Cambodia and Laos, where China has much less presence and influence.
The United Nations estimates that throughout Myanmar and Southeast Asia, a great number of people have been forced and trafficked to work in online scam networks. It has been reported that a significant number of traffickers are Chinese, and the vast majority of the money stolen, which amounts to billions, comes from Chinese victims.
It was reported that Beijing was quite annoyed with the Myanmar military, who seemed reluctant to take measures against the scam networks. It was around this time that China is believed to have supported the offensive of an ethnic rebel coalition in Shan State in late 2023. The group seized important areas including Laukkai, a major border town.
Who are Ming Clan?
The 11 executed individuals are the first leaders of the Myanmar scams to be executed by China. It’s likely that they won’t be the only ones, as other criminal groups like the Bai mafia are also on the brink of death sentences, and the trials for the Wei and Liu mafias are still ongoing.
The Ming mafias trial was conducted behind closed doors, however, around 160 people including the victims families were allowed to witness the sentencing last year.
The Ming mafia’s fraudulent schemes, along with their illegal gambling dens, reportedly brought in over 10 billion yuan ($1.4 billion) between 2015 and 2023, according to a statement from China’s highest court. The same court stated that their offenses led to 14 Chinese victims’ deaths and many others suffering from injuries. Their last appeals were turned down in November.
More than 20 other members of the Ming mafia were handed jail terms of between five years and life. Myanmar’s armed forces disclosed that the syndicate leader, Ming Xuechang, who was blamed for the crimes, reportedly committed suicide in 2023 when he was on the run from arrest.
There were confessions from arrested Ming mafia members shown in the state media documentaries, which is yet another way to reflect the determination of the Chinese authorities in breaking down scam networks.
The Ming mafia was one of a few Godfather-style families that took over Laukkai in the early 2000s after the military operation that ousted the town’s warlord. The general who led that operation, Min Aung Hlaing, after the military coup in 2021, has become head of Myanmar’s military government.
The gang boss, Ming Xuechang, was probably the main figure of the infamous scam center in Laukkai, which was at one time known as Crouching Tiger Villa.
At first, the Ming mafia made their money mostly from gambling and prostitution. Gradually, they shifted away from such activities to running online scams, mostly abducting people to be forced to work for them.
A culture of violence existed within the heavily secured compounds. The victims who had escaped said they went through beatings and torture almost on a daily basis, thus giving the insider’s view of the vicious and merciless ways the Ming mafia exercised control over their workers.
