In a decisive move against transnational organized crime, Chinese authorities have executed eleven principal members of the infamous Ming family criminal organization. The executions, carried out following final judicial review, mark a significant escalation in Beijing’s campaign against cyberfraud operations based in northern Myanmar.
The convicted individuals, including key figures Ming Guoping and Ming Zhenzhen, received death sentences in September for a litany of serious offenses including homicide, illegal detention, and large-scale fraud. China’s Supreme People’s Court rejected appeals from two defendants, upholding the original verdicts that culminated in Thursday’s executions.
For years, the Ming syndicate operated with impunity as part of the ‘four families’ controlling Myanmar’s lawless border regions. Their criminal empire centered on the Crouching Tiger Villa compound in Kokang, where they maintained sophisticated operations involving internet fraud, human trafficking, and drug production. At its peak, the organization exploited approximately 10,000 workers forced to perpetrate international scams.
The crackdown began in November 2023 when Beijing issued arrest warrants and substantial bounties for family members following years of international pressure and complaints from victims’ families. Ming Xuechang, the family patriarch and former Myanmar parliament member, died by suicide during custody prior to trial.
According to official reports, the syndicate collaborated with another executed crime boss, Wu Hongming, in activities that resulted in fourteen Chinese citizen deaths. One particularly brutal incident in October 2023 saw four individuals killed during attempted worker transfers from a scam compound.
The multibillion-dollar scam industry in Southeast Asia, estimated to steal over $43 billion annually, has flourished in Myanmar’s conflict-ridden border areas where armed groups and criminal networks exploit weak governance. China’s foreign ministry has pledged to intensify efforts to eradicate what it characterizes as the ‘scourge of gambling and fraud’ in the region.