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One Chinese judicial body has sentenced several leading members of a notorious Burmese mafia to execution as Chinese authorities persists in its campaign on scam networks in South East Asia.

In all, twenty-one Bai family figures and partners were convicted of fraud, homicide, injury and additional crimes, said a official announcement published on the judicial website.

The group is one of a few of syndicates that rose to power in the 2000s and transformed the underdeveloped isolated region of Laukkaing into a wealthy base of casinos and nightlife areas.

In recent years they pivoted to scams in which thousands of trafficked people, several of them from China, are ensnared, mistreated and compelled to defraud targets in illegal activities estimated at billions of dollars.

Specifics of the Sentencing

Mafia leader Bai Suocheng and his heir Bai Yingcang were among the group of men sentenced to execution by the judicial body. Another individual, A third figure and A fourth person were the other three convicted.

A couple of figures of the Bai family mafia were received delayed executions. Five were sentenced to life in prison, while additional individuals were handed prison sentences between a period of 3-20 years.

This family, who led their own militia, established forty-one facilities to host their digital scam activities and betting establishments, authorities said.

Scale of Unlawful Activities

These illegal enterprises included more than twenty-nine billion Chinese yuan ($4.1bn; £3.1 billion). These activities also resulted in the fatalities of six Chinese citizens, the self-inflicted death of an individual and multiple harm, reports stated.

The strict penalties issued by the judicial body are part of the Chinese campaign to remove the vast scam networks in Southeast Asia - and send a stern signal to other criminal groups.

Background of the Families

These clans gained influence in the early 2000s with the support of a military leader - who now leads the country's military government. The leader had intended to prop up allies in the town after ousting its former warlord.

Among the families, the this family were "the most powerful", Bai Yingcang before stated to official sources.

During that period, we was the dominant in both the political and military circles," he said in a documentary about the Bai family, broadcast on national media in July.

Within that film, a worker at a illegal operations described the harm he had suffered there: besides being beaten, he had his fingernails extracted with tools and two of his digits severed with a tool.

Additional Allegations

The son is included in those who were given to execution this week. The individual has also been separately found guilty of organizing to smuggle and make a large quantity of narcotics, reports stated.

Downfall of the Families

Their downfall happened in recent times as circumstances altered.

Over a long period Beijing has encouraged the Myanmar junta to limit fraudulent activities in the area.

Last year, the law enforcement announced detention orders for the most prominent individuals of these clans.

Bai Suocheng, the Bai family's leader, was included in the individuals who were transferred to China from the country in the beginning of the year.

For what reason is the state putting so much effort to target the clans?" a expert said in the summer film.

"It's to warn groups, no matter your identity, your location, when you engage in these serious offenses affecting the citizens, you will be held accountable."