China Executes 11 Members of the Same Family Over Billion-Dollar Crime Syndicate

China has carried out the death sentences of 11 members of the same family for running a billion-dollar online fraud and organized crime network. According to a report by CNN citing Chinese state media, the executions were carried out recently after the individuals were convicted of multiple serious crimes, including murder, illegal detention, and fraud. The information was confirmed in a report published on Thursday (January 29).

China’s state news agency Xinhua reported that the 11 individuals were sentenced to death in September last year, and the verdicts were implemented after all legal procedures were completed. Two of the convicts had filed appeals against the verdicts, but the cases were reviewed by China’s highest court, the Supreme People’s Court, which upheld the original rulings.

The executed individuals were members of the notorious Ming family, one of the so-called “four families” accused of controlling criminal operations in northern Myanmar. The family allegedly operated hundreds of crime hubs involved in online scams, human trafficking, prostitution, and drug production, building a vast illegal empire worth billions of dollars across borders.

According to reports, several members of the Ming family held influential positions within local administrations and militia groups linked to Myanmar’s military junta, which allowed their criminal activities to flourish unchecked for years. The family patriarch, Ming Xuechang, led operations from the infamous “Crouching Tiger Villa” crime center in the Kokang region along the China–Myanmar border.

China’s state broadcaster CCTV stated that at one point nearly 10,000 people were working for the syndicate, many of whom were forcibly trafficked and coerced into conducting online fraud. The Kokang capital, Laukkaing, had long been known as a major hub of multinational online scam operations, where trafficked workers were exploited using sophisticated digital techniques to deceive victims worldwide.

Following prolonged complaints from families of trafficked workers and extensive international media coverage, China launched a major crackdown on these criminal centers in 2023. In November of that year, arrest warrants were issued for members of the Ming family, and rewards ranging from $14,000 to $70,000 were offered for information leading to their capture.

Subsequently, the syndicate’s leader Ming Xuechang died by suicide while in custody. Notably, he had previously served as a lawmaker in one of Myanmar’s state parliaments. Among those executed were his son Ming Guoping and his granddaughter Ming Zhenzhen. Analysts view China’s decisive action as a strong message against international organized crime and large-scale online fraud networks.