China has executed four members of the notorious Bai family criminal syndicate, convicted of running large-scale scam operations in Myanmar. The executions followed the Supreme People’s Court’s approval of death sentences handed down by courts in Guangdong province, according to state media. The move marks the latest escalation in Beijing’s campaign against cross-border telecom fraud and organised crime.
Key figures and convictions
The four executed members were Bai Yingcan, Yang Liqiang, Hu Xiaojing, and Chen Guangyi. They were among 21 Bai family members and associates convicted of crimes including fraud, homicide, kidnapping, drug trafficking, and illegal casino operations.
In November 2025, the Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court sentenced five defendants to death, including clan patriarch Bai Suocheng. He later died of illness after his conviction, while the remaining defendants appealed. But those appeals were rejected in December 2025 and upheld by the Supreme People’s Court.
Operations in Myanmar
Court findings revealed that the Bai family operated primarily in Myanmar’s Kokang region and established multiple industrial-style compounds. The group provided armed protection to scam operators and oversaw a network of casinos, drug production facilities, and prostitution rings.
Authorities reported that the syndicate swindled RMB 290 billion ($40.5 billion) through gambling and fraud schemes. Their activities also led to the deaths of six Chinese nationals, one suicide, and numerous injuries.
Regional control and violence
Together with the Ming family and other clans, the Bai syndicate controlled the border town of Laukkaing, running casinos, red-light districts, and cyberscam centres. Investigations revealed the Bai family maintained its own militia and operated 41 compounds where violence, including beatings and torture, was routine.
In Myanmar along with other Southeast Asian countries, hundreds of thousands of people have been trafficked to run online scams, according to the United Nations. Hundreds of people were victims and lost billions of dollars globally.
Beijing’s frustration and strategic shift
As reported by several media outlets, the Bai family consolidated power in Laukkaing in the early 2000s after the town’s warlord was ousted in a military operation led by Min Aung Hlaing, now head of Myanmar’s military government.
By 2023, the Bai empire, alongside other mafia clans, began to unravel. Beijing, frustrated by Myanmar’s military inaction against rampant scam operations, shifted strategy by backing ethnic insurgents in the region. This marked a pivotal moment in Myanmar’s civil war.
The offensive led to the capture of scam networks, with members and associates handed over to Chinese authorities—a clear signal of Beijing’s resolve to dismantle transnational fraud.
China’s nationwide campaign against telecom fraud has been underway for years, pressuring Myanmar and other Southeast Asian governments to cooperate in shutting down scam centres. Joint operations and extraditions have followed, including the high-profile case of Chen Zhi in Cambodia.
Last week, Chinese authorities executed 11 members of the Ming family mafia, underscoring the scale and severity of Beijing’s crackdown on organised crime along the Myanmar–China border.
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