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A China's court has sentenced a group of top figures of a notorious Burmese organized crime group to death as Chinese authorities maintains its campaign on fraudulent operations in South East Asia.

Overall, twenty-one Bai family figures and partners were found guilty of scams, murder, injury and various crimes, said a state media document posted on the judicial website.

This clan is among a small number of mafias that became dominant in the early 2000s and converted the underdeveloped isolated region of the town into a wealthy hub of gambling establishments and nightlife areas.

Over the past few years they shifted to scams in which thousands of trafficked workers, several of them Chinese, are caught, harmed and compelled to cheat victims in illegal operations estimated at billions of dollars.

Specifics of the Verdict

Syndicate leader Bai Suocheng and his offspring Bai Yingcang were included in the group of men given to death by the court in Shenzhen. Yang Liqiang, A third figure and Chen Guangyi were the other three convicted.

Two members of the Bai family syndicate were handed suspended death sentences. Five were given to permanent incarceration, while additional individuals were given jail terms varying from several years to two decades.

The clan, who commanded their own armed group, set up 41 compounds to accommodate their digital scam activities and casinos, government stated.

Magnitude of Criminal Schemes

These criminal enterprises entailed exceeding 29 billion local currency ($4.1 billion; over three billion pounds). They also led to the demise of several from China citizens, the suicide of one and several harm, official sources announced.

The severe sentences delivered by the judicial body are within China's effort to eradicate the large scam networks in the region - and deliver a strong warning to further criminal organizations.

Background of the Groups

These families became dominant in the early 2000s with the support of a prominent figure - who now leads Myanmar's regime. The leader had wanted to prop up allies in Laukkaing after ousting its previous warlord.

Within the families, the Bais were "the top", Bai Yingcang earlier stated to state media.

Back then, we was the dominant in each of the government and military spheres," the individual remarked in a report about the clan, aired on Chinese state media in the summer.

In the same report, a employee at a their scam centres narrated the mistreatment he had suffered at the location: besides being hit, he had his nails extracted with instruments and a couple of his digits severed with a tool.

Additional Allegations

Bai Yingcang is among those who were condemned to death this week. The individual has also been separately sentenced of organizing to traffic and manufacture 11 tonnes of illegal drugs, official sources reported.

End of the Clans

The families' end happened in last year as circumstances altered.

Over a long period Beijing has pressed the local government to limit fraudulent schemes in the area.

Recently, the authorities announced arrest warrants for the most prominent individuals of these clans.

Bai Suocheng, the clan's leader, was included in the individuals who were extradited to Beijing from the country in recent months.

"Why is the authorities putting significant resources to pursue the four families?" a official commented in the July report.

This serves as a warning other people, no matter your identity, where you are, if you commit these serious offenses targeting the nationals, you will pay the price."