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One China's judicial body has handed down death sentences to several prominent individuals of an infamous Myanmar mafia to execution as Beijing maintains its campaign on scam operations in Southeast Asian region.

In all, 21 clan members and associates were found guilty of fraud, murder, assault and additional crimes, said a official announcement posted on the judicial website.

This clan is one of a handful of syndicates that gained influence in the 2000s and transformed the underdeveloped isolated region of Laukkaing into a wealthy center of gambling establishments and nightlife areas.

In recent years they pivoted to illegal operations in which thousands of trafficked workers, several of them from China, are trapped, harmed and obligated to scam victims in illegal activities valued at billions of dollars.

Specifics of the Verdict

Mafia leader Bai Suocheng and his heir the younger Bai were among the five figures condemned to death by the judicial body. Another individual, A third figure and A fourth person were the additional punished.

Two individuals of the Bai family mafia were received suspended death sentences. Five were given to life in prison, while nine others were received prison sentences between several years to two decades.

The Bais, who controlled their own private army, established forty-one bases to accommodate their online fraud activities and casinos, government said.

Magnitude of Criminal Schemes

Such criminal activities involved exceeding 29 billion local currency (over four billion dollars; £3.1bn). They also led to the deaths of several from China nationals, the suicide of an individual and numerous harm, official sources reported.

The strict penalties issued by the judicial body are within China's effort to remove the vast fraud networks in Southeast Asia - and issue a strong message to other criminal organizations.

Context of the Groups

Such groups gained influence in the early 2000s with the assistance of a military leader - who now leads Myanmar's regime. The leader had wanted to support associates in the town after replacing its former warlord.

Within the clans, the this family were "the top", the son before told official sources.

Back then, we was the leading in each of the political and military arenas," he stated in a documentary about the clan, shown on Chinese state media in the summer.

In the same film, a worker at a their scam centres described the mistreatment he had experienced at the location: in addition to being beaten, he had his fingernails yanked out with instruments and a couple of his digits cut off with a tool.

More Accusations

The son is among those who were sentenced to death this week. He has also been separately found guilty of organizing to trade and manufacture a large quantity of illegal drugs, official sources stated.

Downfall of the Families

Their downfall occurred in last year as political winds changed.

For years Beijing has urged the regime to rein in fraudulent activities in the area.

Recently, the law enforcement announced arrest warrants for the leading members of such groups.

Bai Suocheng, the clan's patriarch, was among the figures who were handed to China from Myanmar in recent months.

For what reason is the authorities putting so much effort to target the clans?" a Chinese investigator said in the July report.

The purpose is to caution groups, regardless of who you are, your location, if you carry out these serious acts targeting the citizens, you will be held accountable."