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One Chinese court has handed down death sentences to a group of prominent members of an infamous Myanmar organized crime group to execution as Beijing continues its campaign on scam activities in the region.

Altogether, twenty-one clan figures and partners were found guilty of scams, homicide, assault and other offenses, stated a state media report released on the judicial website.

The family is one of a small number of mafias that gained influence in the early 2000s and changed the underdeveloped backwater town of Laukkaing into a wealthy base of gambling establishments and entertainment zones.

Recently they turned to illegal operations in which many of trafficked people, many of them from China, are ensnared, abused and compelled to scam victims in criminal activities valued at billions of dollars.

Specifics of the Sentencing

Syndicate boss Bai Suocheng and his son Bai Yingcang were among the five men condemned to execution by the court in Shenzhen. Yang Liqiang, A third figure and Chen Guangyi were the remaining sentenced.

A couple of figures of the Bai family syndicate were given delayed executions. Five were sentenced to permanent incarceration, while nine others were given jail terms varying from three to 20 years.

This family, who controlled their own armed group, set up 41 facilities to host their cyberscam schemes and gambling houses, officials stated.

Scale of Criminal Activities

These criminal operations involved exceeding 29 billion local currency ($4.1bn; £3.1 billion). They also resulted in the fatalities of six Chinese individuals, the self-inflicted death of an individual and numerous injuries, reports announced.

The strict penalties delivered by the judicial body are within the Chinese campaign to eradicate the extensive scam networks in Southeast Asia - and deliver a strong signal to additional illegal groups.

History of the Families

Such families became dominant in the recent decades with the assistance of a military leader - who now leads the country's military government. He had aimed to bolster allies in Laukkaing after removing its earlier ruler.

Within the families, the this family were "the top", Bai Yingcang before stated to official sources.

Back then, our Bai family was the dominant in each of the government and armed arenas," he said in a documentary about the clan, shown on Chinese state media in July.

In the same film, a employee at one of their scam centres described the mistreatment he had endured there: in addition to being beaten, he had his nails removed with pliers and a couple of his digits cut off with a tool.

Additional Accusations

Bai Yingcang is among those who were sentenced to execution this week. He has additionally been separately found guilty of planning to trade and make 11 tonnes of illegal drugs, official sources stated.

End of the Groups

Their downfall came in recent times as circumstances shifted.

Over a long period Chinese authorities has encouraged the Myanmar junta to control fraudulent operations in the area.

Last year, the law enforcement issued arrest warrants for the key members of these clans.

Bai Suocheng, the Bai family's head, was among the warlords who were handed to China from Myanmar in the beginning of the year.

"Why is the authorities putting so much effort to target the clans?" a expert said in the summer film.

The purpose is to caution individuals, no matter who you are, where you are, when you engage in these heinous crimes targeting the citizens, you will be held accountable."