China Executes Four Leaders of Myanmar-Based Crime Syndicate Over Vast Scam Empire

Feb. 2 — In a decisive move against transnational crime, China executed four senior figures of a notorious Myanmar-based syndicate on Monday. The individuals were convicted for a litany of offenses including homicide, kidnapping, drug trafficking, and operating a vast network of online scam centers that resulted in multiple deaths.

The executed—Bai Yingcang, Yang Liqiang, Hu Xiaojiang, and Chen Guangyi—were leading members of the Bai family crime group. According to state media Xinhua, their death sentences, originally handed down in November, were upheld after appeals were rejected by both the Guangdong High People's Court and the Supreme People's Court.

The Supreme Court stated the punishment matched the "extremely egregious" nature of their crimes. The group ran a wire fraud and illegal gambling empire valued at $4.2 billion from dozens of compounds in Myanmar's Kokang region. Their operations directly caused the deaths of six Chinese citizens and injuries to several others.

The trial also found another 17 associates guilty. Bai Yingcang was separately convicted of conspiring to manufacture and traffic approximately 11 tons of methamphetamine.

This action follows the execution of 11 members of the rival Ming family crime syndicate just four days prior in Zhejiang province. That group was held responsible for 14 Chinese deaths through similar scam center operations, which amassed around $1.4 billion.

Analysts note these executions mark an intensified phase in Beijing's campaign against cyber scam hubs, often staffed by trafficked workers, that have proliferated in Myanmar's lawless border areas. For years, towns like Laukkaing in Shan State were effectively controlled by these family syndicates, which operated casinos and scam centers preying predominantly on Chinese nationals, with Chinese citizens also forming a majority of the forced labor.

The Bai family, with control over 41 compounds, ruled through brutality for two decades. Their rise filled a power vacuum created after the Myanmar military drove out local insurgents, later tolerating the criminal groups as a stabilizing force.

The dynamic shifted in 2023 when China, increasingly frustrated by the cross-border criminal spillover, reportedly provided covert support to ethnic armed groups that overran these syndicates' strongholds, enabling the subsequent legal crackdown.

The UN estimates hundreds of thousands have been trafficked or deceived into working in such scam centers across Southeast Asia, highlighting the scale of the regional crisis.

David Chen, Security Analyst in Singapore: "This is a stark message from Beijing. It shows a willingness to apply extreme domestic legal measures to crimes committed beyond its borders, especially when its citizens are victims. The coordination with on-the-ground military shifts in Myanmar was crucial for this outcome."

Maya Roberts, Human Rights Advocate: "While holding perpetrators accountable is necessary, executions are a brutal and irreversible punishment. This crackdown addresses the symptom, not the root causes of trafficking and forced labor that thrive under systemic corruption and poverty in the region."

Li Wei, Businessman in Kunming (whose cousin was victimized): "Finally! These animals destroyed so many families. They treated people like disposable tools. I only wish the punishment had come sooner. The government must keep pressing to dismantle every last one of these hellholes."

Professor Arun Singh, Regional Policy Expert: "The executions are as much about domestic political messaging as they are about justice. They demonstrate control and resolve to the Chinese public, while also signaling to regional actors that hosting criminal enterprises targeting China carries severe consequences."