China Executes 11 in Myanmar Border Scam Syndicate Crackdown
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China executed 11 members of a violent criminal syndicate based in northern Myanmar on Thursday, marking the conclusion of a high-profile crackdown on cross-border cyber fraud groups that have targeted Chinese citizens and amassed billions in illicit funds.
The executions, carried out following an order from China’s Supreme People’s Court, targeted leaders of the Ming crime family, including Ming Guoping and Ming Zhenzhen. The group operated out of the Kokang Self-Administered Zone in Myanmar’s Shan State, a lawless border region that had evolved into a hub for industrial-scale online scams, kidnapping, and murder.
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- China executed 11 members of the Ming crime family from Myanmar’s Kokang region for cyber fraud, kidnapping, and murder, with total fraud exceeding $1.44 billion and 14 Chinese deaths.
- The crackdown followed a joint policing effort and regional rebel offensives, leading Myanmar authorities to extradite key suspects to China.
- Additional sentences included 5 death penalties with reprieve, 11 life imprisonments, and various shorter jail terms for lower-level associates.
- Oct. 20, 2023：
- In the '10.20' case, armed guards working for the Ming family opened fire on fraud workers being relocated, killing four Chinese nationals and injuring four others.
- Late 2023：
- The Ming family’s downfall began, coinciding with a shift in the geopolitical landscape of northern Myanmar.
- October 2023：
- An alliance of ethnic rebel groups, including the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, launched an offensive against junta-backed militias in Kokang.
- November 2023：
- Ming Xuechang, patriarch of the Ming clan, committed suicide as Myanmar authorities moved to arrest him during a joint dragnet with Chinese police.
- January 2024：
- Myanmar authorities transferred several high-profile criminal suspects, including Bai Suocheng, to Chinese police.
- September 29, 2025：
- The Intermediate People’s Court in Wenzhou originally handed down the sentences for the Ming family syndicate.
- January 29, 2026：
- China executed 11 members of the Ming crime family in Wenzhou after the Supreme People’s Court approved the death penalties.
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