China Sentences 11 to Death for Roles in Myanmar-Based Scam Operations

China’s Vow Against Cross-Border Scams: 11 Sentenced to Death for Myanmar Syndicate Crimes

China has delivered a powerful and highly controversial judgment against one of the largest family-run criminal empires operating out of Southeast Asia, sentencing 11 individuals to death for their roles in a massive, violent scam operation based in Myanmar.

In a landmark decision announced on September 30, the Wenzhou Intermediate People’s Court in Zhejiang province brought an end to the prosecution of the infamous "Ming family syndicate." This verdict serves as a stark signal of Beijing's unwavering resolve to dismantle the predatory cross-border fraud and human trafficking rings that have flourished in ungoverned regions.

The Judgment: Capital Punishment for a Crime Empire

The sentencing was one of the most severe handed down in China's recent history for economic and organized crime. The core of the verdict includes:

• 11 Immediate Death Sentences: For key leaders of the syndicate.
• 5 Suspended Death Sentences (Two Years): Which are typically commuted to life imprisonment after a period of good behavior.
• 12 Long-Term Prison Sentences: Ranging from 5 to 24 years.

Court authorities confirmed the severity of the punishment was a direct response to the "severe losses to countless families in China" and the "especially heinous" violence employed by the criminal enterprise. The Ming family, including key figures like Ming Guoping, Ming Zhenzhen, and Zhou Weichang, stood accused of orchestrating a vast network of fraud from the notorious Kokang region of Myanmar.

A Syndicate Built on Fraud and Slavery

The charges against the Ming family were extensive, painting a horrifying picture of a sophisticated criminal state operating across the border:

• Massive Online Fraud: The syndicate specialized in large-scale telecom fraud, running fake investment schemes, online gambling rings, romance scams, and extortion, netting illegal gains estimated to exceed 10 billion yuan (over US$1.4 billion) since 2015.
• Human Trafficking and Forced Labor: Victims were lured across the border with false promises of high-paying jobs, only to be trafficked into heavily guarded scam compounds and subjected to forced labor.
• Extreme Violence and Murder: The most chilling allegations involved the use of brutal force to control victims. Workers who attempted to escape were reportedly executed, with official statements citing 10 to 14 documented deaths at the hands of syndicate enforcers. Survivors described being shocked with electric batons and subjected to physical beatings for failing to meet daily scam quotas.

One survivor, whose ordeal was detailed in Chinese state media, shared: "My brother tried to run, but they shot him in cold blood. He just wanted to go home."

The Broader Crisis of Scam Compounds

The Ming syndicate case underscores the grim reality of Southeast Asia’s scam center crisis. The Kokang region, alongside areas of Laos and Cambodia, has become the global epicenter of this modern form of digital slavery. Chinese efforts to combat this have been aggressive, leading to the rescue of over 7,000 Chinese nationals from scam compounds in Myanmar in recent operations. These victims, initially trafficked, faced inhumane conditions: long hours under surveillance, torture, electric shocks, and isolation.

Human Rights and Accountability Questions

While the sentencing is a victory for the victims, the case has inevitably reignited international debate over China’s judicial practices:

• Capital Punishment: The use of the death penalty, especially at such a scale and in a system lacking full judicial transparency, is a major concern for global rights organizations.
• Due Process: Critics have called for greater transparency regarding the trial process, legal representation for the defendants, and independent verification of the evidence used to secure confessions.
• Victim-Perpetrator Clarity: A constant worry in these transnational cases is the treatment of low-level workers who were themselves trafficked and coerced. There are ongoing concerns that some victims of forced labor may face criminal charges alongside the true ringleaders.
• Enabling Networks: The sheer scale of the Ming syndicate suggests complicity or failure of governance by local militias and corrupt officials in Myanmar. The question of international accountability for these enablers remains largely unanswered.

As a rights observer noted to AP News: "We condemn the brutal crimes of the syndicate, but we also call for transparency in the judicial process. Victims should not be reclassified as criminals."

A Message to the Region

The verdict sends an unmistakable message to every other criminal syndicate operating on China’s periphery: Beijing will pursue and punish them with the utmost severity. The coming period will be critical, as the fate of those sentenced—particularly the appeals and any potential executions will determine whether this case is remembered as a powerful milestone in regional law enforcement or a flashpoint for human rights controversy.