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One Chinese court has handed down death sentences to five leading members of an infamous Burmese organized crime group to death as Chinese authorities maintains its crackdown on scam networks in South East Asia.

Overall, 21 Bai family figures and partners were sentenced of scams, homicide, injury and various crimes, said a official report posted on the judicial portal.

This clan is among a small number of organized crime groups that rose to power in the 2000s and transformed the underdeveloped isolated region of the town into a lucrative hub of gambling establishments and entertainment zones.

Over the past few years they turned to scams in which numerous of trafficked workers, a large number of them Chinese, are caught, mistreated and compelled to defraud victims in illegal operations estimated at billions.

Information of the Judgment

Syndicate head Bai Suocheng and his heir the younger Bai were included in the group of men condemned to death by the judicial body. Yang Liqiang, A third figure and Chen Guangyi were the remaining sentenced.

Two members of the Bai family syndicate were handed conditional death penalties. Several were given to life imprisonment, while nine others were handed jail sentences varying from several years to two decades.

The clan, who commanded their own militia, set up 41 facilities to house their digital scam operations and betting establishments, officials reported.

Scale of Criminal Operations

Such criminal activities included exceeding 29bn Chinese yuan ($4.1 billion; £3.1 billion). They also led to the demise of several Chinese individuals, the suicide of one and multiple injuries, reports announced.

The harsh penalties delivered by the judicial body are a component of the Chinese initiative to remove the vast fraud rings in Southeast Asia - and deliver a strong message to further illegal groups.

Background of the Groups

Such families rose to power in the 2000s with the help of a prominent figure - who currently heads the country's junta. The leader had intended to support partners in Laukkaing after replacing its former leader.

Within the families, the Bais were "absolutely number one", the son earlier told official sources.

Back then, the clan was the leading in both the government and military circles," he said in a film about the clan, aired on Chinese state media in the summer.

During the report, a employee at a fraud facilities narrated the abuse he had suffered there: in addition to being hit, he had his nails yanked out with pliers and two of his fingers amputated with a tool.

More Allegations

Bai Yingcang is among those who were condemned to execution in the latest ruling. He has also been separately convicted of planning to smuggle and produce eleven tons of narcotics, state media stated.

End of the Clans

Their end occurred in recent times as political winds changed.

Previously Beijing has urged the local government to rein in scam operations in Laukkaing.

Recently, the Chinese police announced legal actions for the most prominent members of such clans.

The patriarch, the clan's leader, was included in the individuals who were extradited to Beijing from Myanmar in recent months.

"Why is the Chinese government putting such extensive work to pursue the groups?" a expert said in the summer film.

The purpose is to caution groups, no matter your identity, where you are, as long as you engage in such terrible offenses affecting the nationals, you will be held accountable."