In a landmark move that underscores China’s intensifying battle against cross-border crime, a Chinese court has sentenced 11 members of the notorious Ming family crime syndicate to death for their roles in orchestrating a sprawling scam empire based in Myanmar. The verdict, delivered on Monday, September 29, 2025, by the Wenzhou Intermediate People’s Court in Zhejiang province, marks one of the harshest punishments ever handed down for such crimes and sends a powerful message to criminal networks operating along China’s borders.
According to reports from Chinese state broadcaster CCTV and the South China Morning Post, a total of 39 Ming family members stood trial for a litany of charges, including telecommunications fraud, illegal gambling, drug trafficking, and organized prostitution. The court found that since 2015, the Ming family had leveraged its influence in Myanmar’s Kokang region—specifically the border town of Laukkai—to establish a network of scam compounds and illegal casinos, raking in more than 10 billion yuan (about $1.4 billion) in illicit proceeds.
The sentences were sweeping and severe. In addition to the 11 death sentences, five defendants received death sentences with two-year suspensions—potentially commutable to life in prison—while 11 others were jailed for life. The remaining convicted family members received prison terms ranging from five to 24 years. The crackdown was not limited to the Ming family alone; it was part of a broader campaign targeting the four powerful clans that once controlled Laukkai, transforming the sleepy border town into a notorious hub for gambling, trafficking, and online scams.
The court’s findings painted a grim picture of the syndicate’s operations. The Ming family, along with other criminal groups, was found responsible for the deaths of at least 14 individuals, including 10 scam workers who tried to escape or disobeyed orders. In one particularly chilling incident in October 2023, the gang reportedly opened fire on Chinese captives at a scam compound, killing four to prevent them from being handed over to Chinese authorities. The syndicate’s compounds, including the infamous Crouching Tiger Villa, were described as places where thousands of trafficked workers—many of them Chinese nationals—were held captive, beaten, and forced to run sophisticated online fraud schemes targeting victims around the globe.
“They killed and injured people involved in fraud who tried to escape or disobeyed them,” the court noted, as cited by SCMP. The syndicate’s power was further bolstered by financial backers to whom it provided armed protection, cementing its grip over the region’s illicit economy.
The patriarch of the family, Ming Xuechang, was a prominent figure in Myanmar’s Shan State, serving as a legislator and a member of the Kokang leadership committee. However, his reign ended abruptly—he died by apparent suicide in November 2023 after being detained by Chinese police. His son, Ming Guoping, and granddaughter, Ming Zhenzhen, were among those sentenced to death, according to state media reports.
China’s pursuit of justice did not stop at its own border. The crackdown was the result of sustained pressure on Myanmar’s authorities, who arrested many members of the Ming family and extradited them to China in 2023. This cooperation was part of a wider regional effort: since July 2023, China’s Ministry of Public Security has led a nationwide campaign against telecoms fraud, working closely with Southeast Asian neighbors—including Myanmar, Cambodia, and Thailand—to dismantle transnational scam operations. By December 2024, Myanmar had handed over more than 53,000 suspects to China, according to official figures cited by SCMP.
The impact of these syndicates has been staggering. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimates that scam centers across Southeast Asia—particularly in Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia—generate as much as $40 billion annually. These centers rely heavily on trafficked workers, who are lured under false pretenses and forced to carry out romance scams, fake investment schemes, and phishing attacks. The “scamdemic,” as the UN has dubbed it, has ensnared more than 100,000 foreign nationals, with countless victims suffering financial and emotional harm.
The Ming family’s operations were emblematic of this dark industry. Their compounds in Laukkai reportedly held at least 10,000 workers at their peak. The group’s reliance on violence and armed force to maintain control was well documented, with the court alleging that they “relied on armed force” to establish and defend their criminal enterprises. The syndicate’s reach extended to providing protection for financial backers and facilitating money laundering on a massive scale. According to ABC News, the group’s gambling operations alone were worth $1.4 billion, and the court found them responsible for the deaths of workers who disobeyed or attempted to escape.
China’s response has been multifaceted. In addition to legal action, Beijing has ramped up diplomatic and law enforcement cooperation with neighboring countries. Earlier in 2025, pressure from China prompted Thailand to crack down on scam centers along its border with Myanmar, leading to the release of more than 7,000 trafficked workers—most of them Chinese citizens. Despite these efforts, the business of online scams has proved resilient, with much of the activity shifting to Cambodia and continuing in Myanmar’s lawless regions.
The scale and brutality of the Ming family’s operations shocked even seasoned observers. The court heard that the syndicate had established a network of industrial estates and compounds that not only housed thousands of scammers but also served as the engine-room for global online fraud. Tactics employed by the group ranged from romance-based investment scams to phishing and extortion, targeting victims as far afield as Europe and North America.
China’s government has made clear that it views fraud as a serious social issue, with state media emphasizing the need for tougher measures and international cooperation. The sentences handed down in Wenzhou are widely seen as a warning to other criminal groups operating in the region. “With these sentences, China is signaling its determination to deal harshly with the scam business on its border,” reported the BBC.
Yet, as authorities continue to clamp down, criminal networks are proving adaptable. Many scam operations have simply relocated, with Cambodia emerging as a new hotspot for online fraud. The fight against transnational crime, it seems, is far from over, despite the dramatic fall of one of its most notorious families.
The story of the Ming family serves as a stark reminder of the human cost behind the headlines: thousands of lives disrupted, workers exploited and abused, and victims across the globe left in financial ruin. As China and its neighbors step up their efforts, the region watches closely, hoping that justice—and reform—will ultimately prevail.
