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A Chinese court has handed down death sentences to several leading figures of an infamous Myanmar organized crime group to capital punishment as Chinese authorities maintains its crackdown on fraudulent operations in South East Asia.

In all, 21 clan individuals and collaborators were found guilty of scams, homicide, assault and various offenses, reported a official announcement posted on the judicial portal.

This clan is one of a handful of syndicates that gained influence in the early 2000s and converted the poor backwater town of the town into a profitable center of casinos and entertainment zones.

Recently they shifted to illegal operations in which many of smuggled workers, many of them from China, are ensnared, harmed and forced to defraud victims in illegal operations estimated at billions of dollars.

Specifics of the Sentencing

Mafia boss Bai Suocheng and his son the younger Bai were included in the group of individuals sentenced to execution by the judicial body. Yang Liqiang, Hu Xiaojiang and Chen Guangyi were the additional sentenced.

Two figures of the Bai family syndicate were handed conditional death penalties. Five were sentenced to permanent incarceration, while more figures were given jail sentences between three to 20 years.

The clan, who commanded their own militia, set up forty-one facilities to accommodate their online fraud schemes and betting establishments, government said.

Extent of Criminal Operations

Such unlawful operations involved over 29 billion Chinese yuan (over four billion dollars; £3.1bn). They also caused the demise of several from China citizens, the self-inflicted death of an individual and numerous harm, official sources reported.

The harsh sentences issued by the court are part of China's campaign to remove the large fraud operations in the region - and send a stern warning to additional illegal syndicates.

Context of the Groups

Such clans rose to power in the 2000s with the assistance of a prominent figure - who now leads Myanmar's regime. He had wanted to prop up allies in the town after removing its former leader.

Among the families, the this family were "absolutely number one", Bai Yingcang before informed official sources.

"At that time, we was the dominant in both the political and armed spheres," he said in a report about the Bai family, aired on national media in July.

Within that report, a employee at their fraud facilities recalled the harm he had experienced there: besides being hit, he had his nails removed with instruments and two of his fingers severed with a tool.

Further Accusations

Bai Yingcang is included in those who were condemned to execution recently. He has additionally been independently convicted of organizing to traffic and make 11 tonnes of illegal drugs, state media stated.

End of the Clans

Their end came in last year as political winds shifted.

For years Chinese authorities has encouraged the regime to control fraudulent operations in the area.

Last year, the Chinese police announced detention orders for the leading members of these groups.

The patriarch, the Bai family's leader, was included in the warlords who were handed to China from the country in recent months.

For what reason is the Chinese government making so much effort to pursue the clans?" a official said in the summer film.

"It's to warn groups, no matter your position, where you are, if you commit these heinous crimes affecting the Chinese people, you will pay the price."