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A Chinese judicial body has condemned five leading members of a well-known Myanmar mafia to death as Chinese authorities maintains its efforts on fraudulent networks in South East Asia.

Overall, 21 clan individuals and collaborators were found guilty of scams, murder, assault and other offenses, reported a state media report released on the court portal.

This clan is one of a handful of mafias that gained influence in the last two decades and changed the poor backwater town of the town into a wealthy hub of casinos and entertainment zones.

Recently they turned to fraudulent schemes in which thousands of smuggled individuals, several of them Chinese, are trapped, abused and compelled to cheat others in illegal operations estimated at billions.

Information of the Judgment

Syndicate leader Bai Suocheng and his son the younger Bai were included in the several individuals given to execution by the judicial body. Yang Liqiang, Hu Xiaojiang and A fourth person were the other three sentenced.

Two individuals of the Bai family mafia were given delayed executions. Several were sentenced to life in prison, while additional individuals were handed prison sentences ranging from three to 20 years.

The clan, who commanded their own militia, set up 41 facilities to accommodate their digital scam schemes and gambling houses, authorities stated.

Scale of Illegal Operations

These illegal activities included exceeding 29 billion yuan ($4.1bn; £3.1bn). These activities also caused the deaths of several Chinese individuals, the suicide of one and several assaults, reports stated.

The strict punishments issued by the court are a component of China's campaign to remove the extensive fraud rings in Southeast Asia - and issue a strong message to further illegal groups.

History of the Families

These clans gained influence in the early 2000s with the support of a prominent figure - who currently heads Myanmar's regime. He had wanted to bolster allies in Laukkaing after removing its earlier warlord.

Among the groups, the Bais were "the most powerful", the son before informed state media.

During that period, the clan was the dominant in both the political and armed circles," he remarked in a film about the Bai family, shown on national media in the summer.

During the documentary, a worker at one of fraud facilities described the harm he had experienced there: besides being hit, he had his fingernails extracted with instruments and a couple of his digits severed with a kitchen knife.

More Accusations

Bai Yingcang is included in those who were condemned to death this week. The individual has also been separately convicted of conspiring to smuggle and produce 11 tonnes of narcotics, official sources stated.

Downfall of the Families

The families' end came in recent times as political winds shifted.

For years Chinese authorities has pressed the local government to control fraudulent activities in the area.

Last year, the law enforcement announced legal actions for the most prominent members of these families.

Bai Suocheng, the clan's leader, was included in the warlords who were handed to China from Myanmar in the beginning of the year.

"Why is the Chinese government putting so much effort to go after the four families?" a official commented in the summer report.

The purpose is to caution other people, no matter who you are, your location, if you commit such terrible acts targeting the Chinese people, you will pay the price."