Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported on Monday that a court sentenced a total of 39 members of the Ming family, a criminal organization active in the Laukkai border region between China and Myanmar, to penalties ranging from long prison terms to the death penalty.
The court said the Ming family was involved in illegal casinos, drug and human trafficking, prostitution and large-scale telecommunications fraud, generating more than 10 billion yuan (more than 1.2 billion euros) since 2015.
CCTV and the court said thousands of workers were held at scam centers in Laukkai and forced to work long hours under poor conditions, and that workers who tried to escape were often severely mistreated or killed.
In 2023 Myanmar authorities cracked down on the networks and handed many Ming family members over to Chinese authorities after a military uprising in the Shan region. An alliance of rebel groups recaptured large parts of the area, which the reports said marked the end of the Ming family’s power.
Family head Ming Xuechang took his own life, the reports said, while other family members pleaded guilty.
The court convicted several defendants, including five who received a death sentence with a two-year suspension. After two years of good behavior the death sentence can be commuted to life imprisonment, the court said.
