China executes Ming family members after carrying out the death sentences of 11 people belonging to one of Myanmar’s most notorious scam-linked clans, accused of running large-scale telecom fraud and other serious crimes. The executions were carried out on Thursday in east China’s Zhejiang province following approval from the Supreme People’s Court, according to state media.
The 11 individuals were sentenced to death in September 2025 by a court in Zhejiang for crimes including homicide, illegal detention, large-scale fraud, and operating gambling dens. The case involved what authorities described as “key members” of telecom scam operations based in northern Myanmar.
China’s state-run Xinhua news agency reported that the executions were conducted in Wenzhou city. In the same verdict last year, five other defendants received death sentences with a two-year reprieve, 11 were sentenced to life imprisonment, and 12 others were handed jail terms ranging from five to 24 years.
The court found that since 2015, members of the group had set up multiple compounds to shelter criminal gangs and provided armed protection for activities such as telecom fraud, illegal casinos, drug trafficking, and organized prostitution. Prosecutors said the fraud alone involved about $1.4 billion and was linked to 14 deaths and injuries to six others.
Who Were the Ming Family?
The Ming family is one of the so-called “four families” of northern Myanmar mafia-style syndicates that have operated hundreds of compounds involved in online fraud, narcotics production, gambling, and prostitution. Members of these families are believed to have held influential positions within local administrations and militia groups aligned with Myanmar’s ruling junta.
The family at the centre of this case was led by Ming Xuechang, a former member of Myanmar’s state parliament. He was closely associated with the infamous Crouching Tiger Villa compound in Kokang, an autonomous region bordering China.
Laukkaing, the capital of Kokang, emerged over the years as the epicentre of Myanmar’s multi-billion-dollar scam industry. Elaborate online schemes targeting victims abroad helped turn the once-poor border town into a hub of casinos and illicit wealth.
After years of complaints from families of trafficked workers, China launched a major crackdown in 2023. In November that year, Chinese authorities issued arrest warrants for Ming family members on charges including fraud, murder, and human trafficking, announcing rewards ranging from $14,000 to $70,000 for information leading to their capture.
Ming Xuechang later died by suicide while in custody. His son Ming Guoping, a senior figure in the junta-aligned Kokang Border Guard Force, along with his daughter Ming Julan and granddaughter Ming Zhenzhen, were also arrested as part of the operation.