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A Chinese judicial body has sentenced several leading individuals of an infamous Myanmar mafia to execution as Beijing continues its efforts on scam activities in the region.

Altogether, twenty-one clan members and associates were found guilty of scams, murder, assault and various crimes, said a official announcement published on the court portal.

The family is among a small number of mafias that became dominant in the last two decades and converted the impoverished backwater town of Laukkaing into a wealthy hub of gambling establishments and nightlife areas.

In recent years they turned to illegal operations in which thousands of smuggled workers, many of them from China, are ensnared, harmed and obligated to defraud targets in criminal enterprises worth billions of dollars.

Information of the Verdict

Syndicate head Bai Suocheng and his son Bai Yingcang were among the five men condemned to capital punishment by the judicial body. Another individual, A third figure and Chen Guangyi were the other three sentenced.

A couple of members of the clan syndicate were received conditional death penalties. Several were sentenced to life imprisonment, while nine others were received prison terms ranging from a period of 3-20 years.

The Bais, who commanded their own private army, created 41 facilities to accommodate their online fraud activities and casinos, authorities reported.

Scale of Illegal Schemes

Such illegal enterprises entailed exceeding 29bn Chinese yuan (over four billion dollars; £3.1 billion). These activities also resulted in the deaths of several Chinese citizens, the suicide of one and several injuries, reports stated.

The severe punishments handed down by the court are a component of China's effort to eradicate the vast fraud rings in South East Asia - and deliver a strong signal to additional unlawful groups.

Context of the Clans

These clans became dominant in the recent decades with the assistance of a military leader - who currently heads the country's military government. The leader had intended to bolster associates in Laukkaing after removing its previous warlord.

Within the families, the Bais were "absolutely number one", Bai Yingcang before informed state media.

Back then, the clan was the dominant in each of the political and armed spheres," he remarked in a film about the clan, shown on Chinese state media in July.

During the report, a individual at their their scam centres recalled the abuse he had endured there: besides being hit, he had his fingernails extracted with pliers and a couple of his digits cut off with a blade.

Additional Allegations

The son is among those who were sentenced to execution recently. The individual has additionally been independently sentenced of organizing to traffic and manufacture 11 tonnes of methamphetamine, official sources announced.

End of the Clans

The families' fall came in last year as situations changed.

Over a long period Chinese authorities has encouraged the local government to control fraudulent operations in Laukkaing.

Recently, the Chinese police released arrest warrants for the leading members of such clans.

The patriarch, the clan's leader, was included in the warlords who were extradited to China from Myanmar in the beginning of the year.

For what reason is the Chinese government putting significant resources to target the four families?" a official said in the summer film.

"It's to warn individuals, regardless of who you are, your location, if you carry out such terrible acts targeting the citizens, you will pay the price."