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One Chinese court has handed down death sentences to a group of prominent figures of an infamous Burmese mafia to death as Chinese authorities continues its efforts on fraudulent activities in South East Asia.

Altogether, twenty-one clan individuals and collaborators were found guilty of scams, homicide, assault and other crimes, reported a official document published on the judicial website.

The group is one of a small number of syndicates that rose to power in the early 2000s and converted the poor remote area of Laukkaing into a profitable center of gambling establishments and nightlife areas.

In recent years they pivoted to scams in which numerous of illegally moved workers, many of them from China, are caught, harmed and obligated to cheat victims in criminal activities valued at billions.

Details of the Verdict

Mafia leader the patriarch and his offspring the younger Bai were included in the several individuals given to death by the court in Shenzhen. Another individual, Hu Xiaojiang and A fourth person were the other three convicted.

A couple of individuals of the clan syndicate were handed delayed executions. Several were condemned to life imprisonment, while additional individuals were handed prison sentences varying from a period of 3-20 years.

This family, who commanded their own militia, set up forty-one compounds to host their online fraud activities and gambling houses, officials said.

Magnitude of Illegal Schemes

These criminal enterprises included over twenty-nine billion local currency ($4.1bn; over three billion pounds). These activities also resulted in the demise of several Chinese individuals, the self-inflicted death of an individual and numerous injuries, official sources reported.

The strict sentences issued by the court are a component of China's campaign to eliminate the vast fraud networks in South East Asia - and deliver a firm warning to further unlawful syndicates.

Background of the Clans

Such clans gained influence in the early 2000s with the help of Min Aung Hlaing - who now leads Myanmar's junta. He had aimed to support allies in Laukkaing after replacing its earlier warlord.

Within the families, the this family were "absolutely number one", Bai Yingcang previously stated to official sources.

Back then, our Bai family was the most powerful in both the political and military spheres," he remarked in a documentary about the clan, broadcast on Chinese state media in July.

During the documentary, a worker at a fraud facilities recalled the abuse he had suffered at the location: in addition to being assaulted, he had his nails extracted with pliers and a couple of his fingers amputated with a tool.

Additional Charges

The son is among those who were condemned to death recently. The individual has also been independently found guilty of organizing to smuggle and produce eleven tons of illegal drugs, reports announced.

End of the Clans

Their fall happened in recent times as situations altered.

Over a long period Chinese authorities has urged the Myanmar junta to rein in fraudulent activities in the area.

Last year, the law enforcement released arrest warrants for the key figures of such groups.

The patriarch, the Bai family's patriarch, was included in the warlords who were handed to Beijing from Myanmar in recent months.

For what reason is the authorities making such extensive work to target the four families?" a Chinese investigator commented in the July documentary.

The purpose is to caution groups, regardless of your position, your location, as long as you engage in these serious offenses against the Chinese people, you will face consequences."