Chinese courts have sentenced more than 41,000 individuals repatriated from northern Myanmar for their roles in telecom and online fraud, with 16 executions carried out as part of China’s intensified campaign against transnational cybercrime, state-run media reported on Thursday.

According to Global Times, citing the Supreme People's Court (SPC), some of the most notorious criminal networks — including the Ming and Bai family syndicates — have now been completely dismantled.

Notorious Crime Families Crushed

The SPC confirmed that 39 key figures within these criminal gangs received life sentences or harsher penalties, including 16 members who were executed this year.

Investigations revealed that the syndicates operated multiple fortified compounds in Myanmar’s Kokang region, where they recruited financiers and armed enforcers to run large-scale telecom fraud, illegal gambling rings, and violent criminal operations.

Authorities say the networks caused over 10 billion yuan (about $1.4 billion) in financial losses and were linked to multiple deaths and serious injuries involving Chinese citizens.

Massive Scale of Prosecutions

Since 2021, Chinese courts have concluded over 159,000 first-instance cases related to telecom and online fraud, sentencing more than 338,000 defendants nationwide.

Following sharp increases in 2023 and 2024, authorities reported that the growth rate of such cases slowed in 2025, attributing the decline to intensified judicial reforms and coordinated law enforcement operations.

Regional Operations and Repatriations

In 2025 alone, more than 7,600 Chinese nationals suspected of telecom fraud were repatriated to China.

In February, China, Myanmar, and Thailand launched a joint security operation targeting scam networks in Myanmar’s Myawaddy region, leading to mass arrests and extraditions.

Post-Coup Scam Hubs

Since Myanmar’s 2021 military coup, which plunged the country into civil war, scam centres and criminal compounds have expanded across poorly regulated border regions. These areas have become major hubs for cybercrime, human trafficking, and online fraud targeting victims across Asia and beyond.

Chinese authorities say the ongoing crackdown reflects a zero-tolerance approach to cross-border fraud networks and signals a long-term strategy to dismantle international scam syndicates operating along regional borders.