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One China's judicial body has condemned five prominent individuals of a well-known Burmese mafia to death as Chinese authorities persists in its campaign on scam networks in South East Asia.

Overall, 21 Bai family figures and partners were convicted of scams, homicide, assault and various crimes, said a official document published on the judicial portal.

The family is one of a few of mafias that gained influence in the early 2000s and converted the poor isolated region of the town into a profitable center of gambling establishments and nightlife areas.

Over the past few years they pivoted to illegal operations in which many of trafficked workers, several of them from China, are ensnared, abused and compelled to cheat victims in criminal operations estimated at billions.

Specifics of the Sentencing

Syndicate boss Bai Suocheng and his offspring the younger Bai were included in the group of men sentenced to death by the court in Shenzhen. Yang Liqiang, Hu Xiaojiang and Chen Guangyi were the remaining convicted.

Two members of the Bai family mafia were handed delayed executions. Five were given to life in prison, while more figures were received jail terms varying from a period of 3-20 years.

The clan, who led their own private army, set up 41 compounds to accommodate their cyberscam schemes and gambling houses, government reported.

Magnitude of Unlawful Activities

Such criminal activities entailed exceeding twenty-nine billion Chinese yuan ($4.1bn; £3.1 billion). They also resulted in the fatalities of six Chinese individuals, the suicide of an individual and several harm, reports reported.

The severe penalties issued by the court are within China's campaign to eliminate the extensive scam operations in South East Asia - and issue a strong signal to further illegal groups.

Context of the Families

Such clans rose to power in the 2000s with the support of Min Aung Hlaing - who currently heads Myanmar's junta. He had wanted to prop up allies in the town after ousting its former leader.

Within the clans, the Bais were "the top", the son before stated to state media.

Back then, we was the leading in both the political and armed spheres," he said in a film about the clan, shown on Chinese state media in July.

During the documentary, a employee at their their scam centres narrated the abuse he had endured there: in addition to being hit, he had his fingernails yanked out with instruments and two of his digits amputated with a kitchen knife.

More Allegations

The son is included in those who were given to death recently. He has additionally been independently convicted of planning to smuggle and produce a large quantity of illegal drugs, state media stated.

End of the Clans

Their downfall occurred in recent times as political winds changed.

Previously Chinese authorities has urged the regime to limit fraudulent activities in Laukkaing.

Recently, the Chinese police released arrest warrants for the leading figures of such clans.

The patriarch, the clan's head, was among the warlords who were handed to China from Myanmar in the beginning of the year.

For what reason is the Chinese government putting so much effort to target the four families?" a Chinese investigator said in the summer report.

The purpose is to caution individuals, regardless of your position, your location, when you commit such terrible crimes targeting the nationals, you will pay the price."