On September 29, 2025, the Wenzhou Intermediate People’s Court in Zhejiang province handed down a sweeping verdict that sent shockwaves across Southeast Asia and China. Thirty-nine members of the notorious Ming family syndicate—a sprawling, family-run criminal empire based in Myanmar’s Kokang region—were convicted on charges ranging from telecom fraud and intentional killing to drug trafficking and organized prostitution. Eleven of the ringleaders, including Ming Guoping, Ming Zhenzhen, and Zhou Weichang, were sentenced to death, while five others received death sentences with a two-year reprieve, typically commuted to life imprisonment. Eleven more were given life sentences, and the rest received prison terms ranging from five to 24 years, with some also facing fines, property confiscation, or deportation, according to the court’s official statement (as reported by BBC and CNN).
The court’s findings, widely covered in Chinese and international media, painted a picture of a syndicate that, since 2015, had transformed the sleepy border town of Laukkaing in Myanmar’s Shan State into a hub for online scams, gambling, drugs, and human trafficking. The Ming family, one of four powerful clans in the region, leveraged its influence to build an armed faction, recruit financial backers, and operate hundreds of scam compounds. Their operations generated illicit proceeds exceeding 10 billion yuan (about $1.4 billion), and their crimes led to the deaths of at least 14 Chinese nationals and injuries to six others, with at least 10 enslaved workers killed while trying to escape or disobey orders, according to CNN and The National.
At the heart of this criminal empire was the infamous Crouching Tiger Villa, a compound that became a symbol of cruelty and exploitation. Here, thousands of workers—many lured by false job offers—were trafficked, imprisoned, and forced to run "romance-investment scams" targeting victims around the world. The scale was staggering: at their peak, Ming-run compounds held up to 10,000 workers, most of them Chinese nationals trapped in forced labor. Workers who tried to flee were beaten, tortured, or even killed. In one particularly grim incident in October 2023, four people were shot dead as the group transferred workers under armed guard after being tipped off about a police raid (CNN).
The Ming family’s reach extended far beyond Kokang. Their activities included illegal casinos, online scams, drug trafficking, and prostitution, with operations so lucrative that the once-impoverished Laukkaing was transformed into a glittering casino city. The syndicate’s ties to local government and militia aligned with Myanmar’s ruling junta provided both protection and impunity. Patriarch Ming Xuechang, who held a seat in the Myanmar state parliament, was among those accused, but he reportedly committed suicide in custody before he could be tried (BBC, CNN).
The Chinese government’s response was swift and determined. As the scale of the scam epidemic—dubbed the "scamdemic"—became clear, Beijing treated the syndicates as a national security threat. In November 2023, Chinese authorities issued arrest warrants for key Ming family members, posting rewards of up to $70,000 for their capture. Law enforcement cooperation between China and Myanmar led to the arrest and extradition of several ringleaders. More than 160 people, including family members, lawmakers, and political advisers, attended the sentencing, underscoring the case’s political and social significance (China Daily).
The crackdown did not stop with the Ming family. Chinese police, working with counterparts in Myanmar, Thailand, and Cambodia, have intensified joint operations against telecom fraud. During China’s 14th Five-Year Plan (2021–2025), authorities dismantled more than 2,000 overseas fraud centers and apprehended over 80,000 suspects. Earlier in 2025, coordinated efforts freed more than 7,000 enslaved workers from scam compounds in Shan State, and Chinese authorities repatriated over 53,000 Chinese “suspects”—including many trafficked victims—from northern Myanmar (China Daily, BBC).
Yet, as the verdict in Wenzhou demonstrates, the fight against transnational crime remains an uphill battle. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimates that online scam centers across Southeast Asia generate more than $40 billion annually. These networks, often protected by local corruption and lawlessness, have proven highly adaptable. After crackdowns in Myanmar and Thailand, many syndicates have shifted operations to Cambodia and other countries with weaker law enforcement (The National).
The methods employed by these criminal networks are as sophisticated as they are ruthless. Syndicates lure workers through fake job advertisements, then forcibly confine them in guarded compounds. Victims are beaten, tortured, or even killed if they disobey. The scams themselves range from fake investment schemes to romance cons, targeting not only Chinese citizens but also victims in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East. Analysts warn that, despite the high-profile sentences handed down in China, the global scam trade is far from defeated. Many operators have simply relocated, keeping the multi-billion-dollar "scamdemic" alive (CNN).
The Ming family’s downfall was hastened by a convergence of local and international pressures. In October 2023, a coordinated rebel offensive—widely believed to have been greenlit by Beijing—forced Myanmar’s military and its allies from Laukkaing, paving the way for Chinese authorities to pursue and extradite key suspects. The rebels cited the need to dismantle scam operations as a justification for their campaign, aligning their interests with China’s crackdown on cross-border crime targeting its nationals (BBC).
The sentencing of the Ming family ringleaders sends a clear message: China is prepared to pursue, extradite, and punish scam operators with maximum severity. "The criminal group used its influence in Myanmar’s Kokang region to build an armed faction and commit a range of offenses since 2015," the Wenzhou Intermediate People’s Court stated. "Sentences were handed down based on each individual’s criminal acts, circumstances, and the degree of harm caused to society."
Despite these decisive actions, experts caution that the underlying drivers of the scam industry—poverty, corruption, and weak law enforcement—remain unaddressed. The industry’s reliance on trafficked labor and its rapid adoption of new technologies, including cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence, make it a moving target for authorities. As one analyst told CNN, "While the Ming network has been dismantled, the global scam trade has proven adaptable."
For now, the verdict in Wenzhou stands as a stark warning to other criminal syndicates operating in the region. But with billions still flowing through Southeast Asia’s shadowy scam centers, the battle against transnational crime is far from over.
