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A Chinese court has condemned a group of prominent members of an infamous Myanmar mafia to capital punishment as Beijing maintains its crackdown on scam activities in South East Asia.

In all, twenty-one clan figures and partners were convicted of scams, murder, assault and other crimes, said a state media report released on the judicial website.

The group is one of a handful of organized crime groups that gained influence in the last two decades and converted the impoverished backwater town of Laukkaing into a profitable hub of casinos and entertainment zones.

In recent years they turned to illegal operations in which many of trafficked individuals, many of them from China, are trapped, mistreated and forced to cheat targets in unlawful activities worth huge sums.

Specifics of the Verdict

Mafia leader the patriarch and his son Bai Yingcang were among the several figures sentenced to execution by the judicial body. Yang Liqiang, Hu Xiaojiang and A fourth person were the remaining sentenced.

Two figures of the clan syndicate were given conditional death penalties. Five were condemned to life in prison, while more figures were received jail sentences varying from three to 20 years.

The clan, who commanded their own armed group, established 41 compounds to host their digital scam operations and gambling houses, officials reported.

Extent of Unlawful Activities

Such criminal operations involved more than 29bn yuan ($4.1 billion; £3.1 billion). They also caused the demise of six from China citizens, the suicide of one and multiple harm, reports stated.

The harsh penalties issued by the judicial body are part of the Chinese effort to remove the large fraud rings in the region - and deliver a strong warning to other unlawful syndicates.

Background of the Groups

Such families became dominant in the 2000s with the support of a military leader - who is in charge of the country's junta. He had intended to prop up allies in the town after removing its earlier leader.

Within the groups, the this family were "the most powerful", the son before stated to state media.

"At that time, the clan was the leading in each of the government and armed arenas," the individual said in a report about the Bai family, broadcast on official channels in July.

During the film, a employee at their illegal operations recalled the mistreatment he had endured at the location: besides being beaten, he had his nails removed with pliers and a couple of his fingers severed with a kitchen knife.

Further Accusations

The son is among those who were given to death recently. He has also been independently convicted of organizing to trade and make 11 tonnes of illegal drugs, state media stated.

End of the Families

Their fall occurred in recent times as circumstances shifted.

For years Beijing has urged the Myanmar junta to rein in scam schemes in the area.

Recently, the authorities announced detention orders for the leading individuals of such groups.

The patriarch, the clan's patriarch, was among the individuals who were extradited to Beijing from the country in recent months.

"Why is the state making significant resources to pursue the four families?" a Chinese investigator commented in the July documentary.

The purpose is to caution other people, regardless of your identity, where you are, when you carry out these heinous offenses targeting the Chinese people, you will face consequences."