The convictions stem from a rejected appeal and a 2023 crackdown linked to border cooperation with Myanmar, underscoring Beijing’s push to dismantle transnational scam and illegal gambling networks.
China has executed 11 people convicted of killing 14 Chinese citizens and running large-scale scam and gambling operations worth more than $1 billion, the Associated Press reported.
The Wenzhou Intermediate People’s Court announced the executions in a statement on Thursday morning. The court had sentenced the group to death in September.
Those executed included Ming Guoping and Ming Zhenzhen, members of the Ming family who the court said led the scam and gambling networks. The others were identified as Zhou Weichang, Wu Hongming and Luao Jianzhang, whom the court described as key figures in the operations.
Court documents said the group had appealed the death sentences, but the appeal was rejected in November. The ruling was not made public at the time. The individuals were first detained in November 2023 after Chinese authorities pressed officials in border regions shared with Myanmar to intensify a crackdown on scam operations, according to the Associated Press.
Scam compounds have grown into an industrial-scale criminal business across Southeast Asia, particularly in Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos. The operations often rely on a mix of trafficked victims and voluntary workers to carry out digital fraud targeting people worldwide.
Authorities across the region are facing increasing international pressure, including from China, the United States and other countries, to curb the spread of organised criminal networks involved in scams and illegal gambling.
With inputs from Associated Press
