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A China's court has sentenced five leading members of a well-known Burmese mafia to capital punishment as Chinese authorities maintains its crackdown on fraudulent activities in Southeast Asian region.

Overall, 21 Bai family individuals and collaborators were found guilty of fraud, homicide, injury and various crimes, reported a official report posted on the judicial website.

The family is one of a small number of syndicates that became dominant in the 2000s and converted the underdeveloped isolated region of the town into a wealthy center of casinos and entertainment zones.

Recently they turned to fraudulent schemes in which many of trafficked people, several of them from China, are caught, mistreated and compelled to cheat others in illegal activities worth billions of dollars.

Details of the Verdict

Syndicate boss Bai Suocheng and his son the younger Bai were included in the five figures condemned to death by the Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court. Another individual, Hu Xiaojiang and A fourth person were the additional sentenced.

Two members of the Bai family syndicate were given conditional death penalties. Several were sentenced to life imprisonment, while additional individuals were given jail sentences ranging from three to 20 years.

This family, who commanded their own militia, set up forty-one facilities to host their online fraud operations and betting establishments, officials reported.

Scale of Unlawful Schemes

These unlawful activities included over 29 billion yuan ($4.1bn; £3.1 billion). These activities also resulted in the deaths of six from China citizens, the suicide of an individual and numerous assaults, state media stated.

The strict penalties delivered by the judicial body are within China's initiative to eradicate the extensive scam operations in the region - and send a firm message to additional illegal syndicates.

History of the Families

These groups became dominant in the recent decades with the assistance of Min Aung Hlaing - who currently heads the country's military government. He had wanted to support associates in Laukkaing after removing its former leader.

Within the clans, the Bais were "the most powerful", the son earlier stated to state media.

During that period, we was the most powerful in each of the government and armed arenas," he said in a documentary about the Bai family, shown on Chinese state media in July.

During the documentary, a individual at one of illegal operations narrated the mistreatment he had suffered there: in addition to being beaten, he had his nails removed with instruments and two of his fingers amputated with a blade.

More Allegations

The son is among those who were given to execution in the latest ruling. He has additionally been independently sentenced of planning to traffic and produce 11 tonnes of narcotics, reports stated.

End of the Families

Their downfall occurred in last year as circumstances altered.

For years Chinese authorities has encouraged the regime to rein in fraudulent schemes in the area.

Recently, the Chinese police released arrest warrants for the leading individuals of these clans.

Bai Suocheng, the clan's patriarch, was among the individuals who were handed to China from the country in the beginning of the year.

"Why is the state putting such extensive work to go after the clans?" a expert commented in the July report.

"It's to warn individuals, no matter your position, your base, if you carry out these terrible crimes against the nationals, you will pay the price."