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One China's court has sentenced a group of top individuals of a well-known Burmese mafia to execution as Beijing continues its crackdown on scam networks in Southeast Asian region.

In all, 21 clan members and associates were convicted of fraud, murder, assault and other offenses, stated a official announcement released on the court portal.

The group is one of a few of mafias that rose to power in the last two decades and changed the poor isolated region of Laukkaing into a lucrative base of gambling establishments and red-light districts.

Over the past few years they shifted to scams in which many of trafficked individuals, a large number of them Chinese, are trapped, harmed and compelled to defraud others in criminal operations valued at billions of dollars.

Information of the Verdict

Mafia leader Bai Suocheng and his offspring the younger Bai were included in the group of men given to capital punishment by the court in Shenzhen. Another individual, A third figure and Chen Guangyi were the remaining punished.

Two individuals of the clan syndicate were received suspended death sentences. Several were given to life imprisonment, while more figures were received prison terms varying from a period of 3-20 years.

The clan, who led their own private army, set up forty-one facilities to host their cyberscam activities and casinos, government said.

Scale of Criminal Activities

These illegal enterprises entailed exceeding 29 billion yuan ($4.1 billion; over three billion pounds). They also caused the fatalities of several from China citizens, the suicide of one and numerous harm, official sources reported.

The strict penalties issued by the court are within China's effort to eradicate the vast fraud networks in South East Asia - and issue a firm warning to other criminal syndicates.

Context of the Groups

These clans gained influence in the recent decades with the support of Min Aung Hlaing - who currently heads Myanmar's regime. The leader had wanted to bolster associates in the town after ousting its previous leader.

Among the clans, the this family were "absolutely number one", the son earlier informed state media.

"At that time, our Bai family was the dominant in both the political and armed spheres," he stated in a report about the clan, broadcast on national media in July.

Within that film, a worker at one of fraud facilities recalled the mistreatment he had experienced at the location: in addition to being beaten, he had his fingernails removed with pliers and a couple of his digits severed with a blade.

More Allegations

Bai Yingcang is included in those who were condemned to death recently. The individual has also been separately sentenced of organizing to traffic and manufacture 11 tonnes of narcotics, state media reported.

Decline of the Families

The families' end happened in recent times as political winds altered.

For years Beijing has encouraged the Myanmar junta to limit fraudulent operations in the area.

Recently, the authorities announced detention orders for the leading members of such families.

The patriarch, the clan's leader, was included in the figures who were transferred to Beijing from the country in recent months.

"Why is the Chinese government making so much effort to pursue the four families?" a expert commented in the summer documentary.

"It's to warn other people, no matter who you are, your location, if you engage in such terrible offenses targeting the nationals, you will face consequences."