China's Supreme People's Court approved the death sentences, leading to the execution of 11 members of a Myanmar-based telecom fraud syndicate by the Wenzhou Intermediate People's Court on January 29. The group, including leaders Ming Guoping and Ming Zhenzhen, was convicted of intentional homicide, injury, illegal detention, fraud, and operating gambling dens, with illicit funds exceeding 10 billion RMB (about $1.4 billion).
On January 29, 2026, China carried out the death sentences for 11 members of a telecom fraud criminal syndicate based in northern Myanmar, underscoring Beijing's ongoing campaign against cross-border scams and online gambling.
The Supreme People's Court (SPC) reviewed and approved the sentences after the Zhejiang Provincial High People's Court rejected appeals on November 25, 2025. The Wenzhou Intermediate People's Court in eastern China's Zhejiang Province had initially sentenced the 11, including leaders Ming Guoping and Ming Zhenzhen, to death on September 29, 2025, for crimes such as intentional homicide, injury, illegal detention, fraud, and running gambling operations. Since 2015, the group had set up multiple compounds in Myanmar's Kokang region under armed protection, generating over 10 billion RMB (about $1.4 billion) in illicit funds. Their violent acts resulted in the deaths of 14 Chinese citizens and injuries to many others.
At a January 29 press conference, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun stated that China has been working actively with Myanmar and other countries to combat cross-border telecom and online fraud, achieving remarkable results. He added that China will deepen international law enforcement cooperation and intensify efforts to eradicate scams and gambling.
The syndicate was part of the Ming family crime group, which controlled scam compounds in Myanmar's Shan State's Laukkaing area, including the notorious Crouching Tiger Villa. In October 2023, gang members shot and killed four captive Chinese nationals to prevent their repatriation to China, according to CCTV reports. The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army recaptured Laukkaing in 2023 and handed over suspects to Chinese authorities; Ming family patriarch Ming Xuechang died by suicide after capture.
This execution highlights China's firm stance on transnational crime and the need for regional cooperation. While scam operations have shifted to other parts of Myanmar and Cambodia, Beijing continues extraditions and victim repatriations to dismantle them.
