China executes 11 gang members in its first use of the death penalty against online scammers tied to cross-border fraud networks.
China has executed 11 members of the Ming family, a powerful crime clan accused of operating large-scale online scam centers in Myanmar, marking the country’s first use of the death penalty against leaders of the regional cyber fraud industry.
State media said the group ran extensive fraud networks that targeted victims through fake online relationships — a scheme known as “pig butchering” — in which scammers build trust before steering victims into bogus cryptocurrency trading and e-commerce investments.
The family members were sentenced to death by a court in eastern China in September. The executions were carried out this week after receiving final approval from the Supreme People’s Court in Beijing.
According to state news agency Xinhua, the defendants were convicted of multiple serious crimes, including intentional homicide, unlawful detention, fraud, and the illegal operation of casinos. The Supreme People’s Court said evidence of criminal activity dating back to 2015 was “conclusive and sufficient.” Under Chinese law, executions are carried out by firing squad or lethal injection.
Investigators said the family initially profited from gambling and prostitution before shifting to online fraud following the collapse of Chinese-owned casinos and hotels across Southeast Asia during the Covid-19 pandemic. Authorities allege the group later established vast scam compounds in Myanmar, staffed largely by individuals who were trafficked or kidnapped and forced to carry out fraud under threats of violence.
Victims were targeted across multiple continents, with coerced workers posing as romantic partners or financial advisers in several languages. The scams are believed to generate billions of dollars annually, prompting Beijing to intensify enforcement efforts in recent years, including the repatriation of thousands of suspects to China.
The Ming family members are the first Myanmar-based scam bosses executed by China, though officials have indicated further cases are pending. In November, five members of another Myanmar clan, the Bai family, received death sentences with two-year reprieves, while 23 others were handed prison terms ranging from five years to life.
The crackdown has extended beyond China. In October, the United States and the United Kingdom imposed sanctions on the Cambodia-based Prince Group, accused of operating scam centers across Southeast Asia. In December, Thai authorities seized more than $300 million in assets linked to related cyber fraud operations.
Reports are sourced from official documents, law-enforcement updates, and credible investigations.
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