A Chinese court has sentenced 39 members of Myanmar’s notorious Ming family for running scam centres, casinos, and trafficking operations in Laukkaing near the China border.

Eleven received death sentences, while others were jailed for life or long terms.

The family generated over 10bn yuan ($1.4bn) through fraud, drugs, gambling, and prostitution, and were linked to worker deaths in brutal scam compounds like the “Crouching Tiger Villa.”

Once powerful in Shan State, the family collapsed after a 2023 crackdown when Myanmar handed members to China, the BBC has reported.

The case highlights Beijing’s tough stance on cross-border fraud, though the scam trade has since shifted to Cambodia and parts of Myanmar.