China Executes 11 Members of Notorious Myanmar Scam Syndicate

China Executes 11 Members of Notorious Myanmar Scam Syndicate

By Paul V. Young – TheNATIONWEEK.com | January 30, 2026

ZHEJIANG, China – In a significant crackdown on organized crime, Chinese authorities have executed 11 members of the Ming family criminal organization, a notorious syndicate operating in Myanmar’s Kokang region. State media reports indicate that the group was convicted of orchestrating a vast multi-billion-dollar criminal enterprise that included online fraud, illegal detention, and homicide.

The Ming family was a central figure among the “four families” that dominate the illicit industries in northern Myanmar. These syndicates are alleged to run numerous compounds involved in internet scams, prostitution, and drug production, often with the assistance of local government officials and militias aligned with Myanmar’s ruling junta.

The individuals executed were sentenced to death in September after a trial that revealed the extent of their criminal operations. The Supreme People’s Court, China’s highest judicial authority, upheld the death sentences after two defendants filed appeals.

Central to the Ming family’s operations was the notorious Crouching Tiger Villa in Laukkaing, the capital of Kokang, an autonomous region adjacent to China. According to reports from Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, the syndicate employed as many as 10,000 individuals to execute scams and other illegal activities. Laukkaing has become a focal point for a multi-billion-dollar scam industry, exploiting trafficked workers coerced into defrauding victims through elaborate online schemes.

In response to growing pressure from the families of trafficked workers and heightened international scrutiny, Beijing initiated a crackdown on these compounds in 2023. In November, arrest warrants were issued for members of the Ming family, charging them with fraud, murder, and trafficking, with rewards ranging from $14,000 to $70,000 offered for their capture.

Ming Xuechang, the head of the family and a former member of Myanmar’s state parliament, reportedly took his own life while in custody. Among those executed were his son, Ming Guoping, a leader within the junta-aligned Kokang Border Guard Force, and his granddaughter, Ming Zhenzhen. State media reported that the condemned individuals were permitted to meet with close relatives prior to their executions.

The Ming family syndicate was also implicated in collusion with Wu Hongming, the leader of another criminal organization who was also executed, in the intentional killing, injury, and illegal detention of scam workers. These actions led to the deaths of 14 Chinese citizens, as reported by state media. One particularly alarming incident occurred in October 2023, when members of the group allegedly opened fire on individuals at a scam compound during a worker transfer under armed guard, following a tip-off about an impending police raid.

The United States Institute of Peace estimates that scamming gangs in Southeast Asia siphon off more than $43 billion annually. In Myanmar, these criminal enterprises have flourished amid widespread corruption and lawlessness, especially in the border regions. The ongoing civil war has further complicated the situation, allowing criminal syndicates and the armed groups that protect them to expand their illicit operations.

A spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry affirmed that Beijing will continue to strengthen efforts to “eradicate the scourge of gambling and fraud” in the region. The executions highlight China’s determination to combat transnational crime and address the escalating issue of online scams originating from Southeast Asia.