China executes 11 people linked to Myanmar telcom scam empire

China has executed 11 people linked to criminal gangs based in northern Myanmar, including key members involved in large-scale telecom fraud operations, according to Chinese state media.

The 11 individuals were sentenced to death in September 2025, and subsequently executed on Jan. 29, state news agency Xinhua reported.

Crimes include fraud and homicide

Chinese state media said the executed individuals were convicted of crimes including intentional homicide, intentional injury, unlawful detention, fraud, and the operation of illegal casinos.

They appealed the verdict, but this was rejected in November 2025.

The death sentences were later approved by China’s Supreme People’s Court. They ruled that evidence of crimes committed since 2015 was conclusive.

Among those executed were members of the so-called Ming family criminal group, whose activities were linked to the deaths of at least 14 Chinese citizens and injuries to many others, CNN reported.

Ming Xuechang, the family’s patriarch, reportedly took his own life while in custody.

The family's close relatives were allowed to meet them prior to the executions.

Myanmar scam centres generated billions

The Ming family was one of several powerful clans operating in and around Laukkaing, a town in Myanmar’s Shan State.

Located close to the Chinese border, the quiet town eventually evolved into a major hub for gambling, drugs, and scam centres.

Chinese courts found that members of the Ming family and other criminal groups were responsible for the deaths of several scam centre workers, including one incident in which workers were shot to prevent them from returning to China, according to the BBC.

The most notorious site ran by the Ming family was a compound known as Crouching Tiger Villa, where workers were routinely beaten and tortured.

After ethnic armies took control of the area in 2023, many members of these families were detained and handed over to the Chinese authorities.

BBC reported that the scam centres operated by the Ming family housed at least 10,000 workers, with the scam and gambling activities linked to the family generating more than 10 billion yuan (S$1.8 billion) since 2015.

Beijing steps up regional crackdown

In recent years, China has intensified cooperation with Myanmar, Thailand, and Cambodia to dismantle scam operations in the region.

Thousands of suspects have been repatriated to China, including more than 7,600 Chinese nationals returned from Myawaddy, a town on Myanmar’s border with Thailand, last year.

Earlier this month, Cambodia extradited Chen Zhi, a tycoon accused by U.S. authorities of leading a conglomerate that served as a front for a multi-billion-dollar cyber scam network.

Despite the crackdown, analysts warn that scam networks have adapted and shifted operations, with Cambodia emerging as a growing hub even as Myanmar remains a key base.

Top image via Xinhua News