Chinese state media reported that a court in Zhejiang province sentenced 11 members of the "Ming Family," a powerful mafia family controlling an online scam call center network in Laikgai city, Myanmar, for charges including murder, unlawful detention, fraud, and illegal gambling operations.
The Ming family is a major power dominating Laikgai, a Myanmar border town adjacent to China. Once a quiet town, under the Ming family's influence, it transformed into a gray zone business hub filled with casinos, sex services, and lodging for scam operations.
Court records indicate that between 2015 and 2023, the Ming family's network earned over 10 billion yuan (approximately 50 billion baht) from illegal businesses and gambling. However, their empire began to collapse in 2023 when Myanmar authorities, pressured by the Chinese government, raided and extradited Ming family members to China for prosecution.
Myanmar's call center scam network became a major problem for China after countless Chinese nationals were deceived into human trafficking and forced labor at these sites. One widely condemned case involved a Chinese supporting actor who traveled to Thailand for work but was abducted and sent to a call center in Myanmar, sparking outrage on Chinese social media.
The court clearly stated that the Ming family's crimes caused not only financial loss but also the deaths of 14 Chinese nationals and many injuries. The severity of the case led to the maximum penalty: the death sentence.
/sourceBBC