Beijing: Three ringleaders of a powerful Myanmar-based criminal syndicate have been sentenced to death by Chinese courts for operating large-scale telecom fraud and illegal gambling networks, Chinese state media reported Tuesday.
The sentences were delivered by the Intermediate People’s Court of Quanzhou and a court in Nan’an City in Fujian Province against key members of the Wei family criminal group, according to the Xinhua News Agency. The courts found the syndicate guilty of running organized criminal enterprises from fortified compounds in the Kokang region of northern Myanmar.
In addition to the three death sentences, three other senior members of the network were given life imprisonment. Another 55 defendants were handed fixed-term prison sentences ranging from three years and three months to 24 years. The courts also ordered fines, confiscation of illegal proceeds and property, and deportation for some convicts.
According to prosecutors, the Wei family network built a sprawling criminal empire in Kokang, a border area long known for lawlessness and armed groups. The group operated scam centers where trafficked workers were forced to conduct telecom fraud targeting Chinese nationals, while also running cross-border gambling operations, extortion, illegal detention and other violent crimes. The compounds were protected by private armed guards and operated with near impunity until recent joint operations.
The verdict is the latest in Beijing’s sweeping crackdown on scam syndicates that have defrauded thousands of Chinese citizens of billions of yuan. In February, China executed 15 members of Myanmar-based criminal gangs convicted of murder, telecom fraud and drug trafficking. The campaign intensified after a surge in kidnapping and fraud cases linked to Myanmar’s border regions.
Chinese authorities said the crackdown involves close coordination with Myanmar and Thailand. More than 7,600 Chinese nationals suspected of involvement in telecom fraud were repatriated from Myanmar in 2024 alone. Beijing has urged authorities in Naypyidaw to dismantle all remaining scam compounds and has linked security cooperation to broader economic ties under the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor.
