China Sentences 16 to Death Over Deadly Myanmar Border Scam Operations

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 A Chinese court on Monday sentenced 16 members of a family-run criminal gang to death for running scam compounds in Myanmar’s Kokang region and committing a string of violent crimes, including multiple murders.

The Wenzhou Intermediate People’s Court said the organisation, which operated from 2015, engaged in cyber fraud, drug trafficking, illegal casinos, and prostitution rings. The gang is accused of killing 14 people, including 10 fraud victims who either attempted to escape or resisted the group’s control.

One incident cited in court occurred in October 2023, when members of the gang allegedly opened fire inside a scam compound to prevent detainees from being repatriated to China.

Scam Compounds Under Pressure

Scam centres have proliferated in Myanmar’s lawless border zones, staffed by trafficked foreigners — many of them Chinese nationals — forced to conduct online fraud in a multibillion-dollar criminal industry.

Beijing has in recent months stepped up cross-border crackdowns with Southeast Asian governments, leading to the repatriation of thousands of people held in such compounds.

Sentences and Seizures

According to the court, the gang profited by more than 10 billion yuan ($1.4 billion) from its illicit activities.

• 16 members received death sentences, though five were granted a two-year reprieve — a penalty that can be commuted to life imprisonment if no further crimes are committed in prison.

• An additional 23 suspects were sentenced to prison terms ranging from five years to life.

Chinese authorities hailed the ruling as part of a broader campaign to dismantle the criminal syndicates exploiting regional instability for profit.