China Executes Four Members of Notorious Bai Crime Family in Major Crackdown on Myanmar Scam Networks
Authorities in China have carried out the execution of four members of the infamous Bai family, a powerful crime dynasty accused of running expansive cyber fraud hubs in Myanmar, as Beijing steps up its campaign against cross-border scam syndicates.
PulseNets learned that the executions followed the conviction of more than 20 Bai family members and associates by a court in China’s Guangdong Province. State media reports obtained by PulseNets confirmed that the defendants were found guilty of multiple offences, including fraud, homicide, intentional bodily harm and other grave crimes.
According to information reported by the BBC and reviewed by PulseNets, a Chinese court had in November last year sentenced five key members of the criminal syndicate to death. Among them was the family patriarch, Bai Suocheng. However, Bai Suocheng reportedly died from illness after his conviction and before the death sentence could be enforced.
The latest executions come just days after Chinese authorities put to death 11 members of the Ming family mafia, another powerful clan linked to cyber scam operations across Southeast Asia. The rapid succession of executions underscores Beijing’s resolve to dismantle transnational online fraud networks that have defrauded and traumatised millions of victims.
For several years, the Bai, Ming and other criminal families reportedly dominated Laukkaing, a volatile border town in northern Myanmar, where they operated casinos, brothels and sprawling cyber scam centres beyond the reach of effective law enforcement.
Among these syndicates, the Bai family was widely regarded as the most dominant. After his arrest, Bai Suocheng’s son once described the clan as “number one in the region”, during a state media interview cited by Chinese prosecutors.
Chinese authorities told PulseNets that the Bai family maintained its own armed militia and constructed at least 41 heavily fortified compounds used as scam centres and casino hubs. Inside these facilities, violence was said to be commonplace, with captives subjected to beatings, torture and other severe abuse.
Court findings obtained by PulseNets revealed that the family’s criminal operations directly resulted in the deaths of six Chinese nationals, drove one individual to suicide and caused serious injuries to several others.
The rise of the Bai family can be traced back to the early 2000s, following a military campaign that removed Laukkaing’s former warlord. That operation was led by Min Aung Hlaing, now Myanmar’s military leader, who reportedly sought local collaborators to stabilise the area. Bai Suocheng, then a deputy to the ousted warlord, emerged as a key ally during that period.
However, the criminal empires began to unravel in 2023 after Beijing grew increasingly frustrated with Myanmar’s inability to rein in scam operations targeting Chinese citizens. PulseNets learnt that China subsequently backed an offensive by ethnic armed groups in the region, a move widely seen as a turning point in Myanmar’s protracted civil conflict. The operation led to the capture of prominent scam bosses, who were later extradited to China.
Back on Chinese soil, the arrested syndicate leaders were publicly showcased in state-produced documentaries, reinforcing Beijing’s message that those behind cyber fraud networks would face severe punishment.
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With the latest executions, analysts who spoke to PulseNets say China is sending an unmistakable deterrent signal to organised crime groups and would-be scammers operating across borders.
The United Nations estimates that hundreds of thousands of people have been trafficked into scam operations across Myanmar and other parts of Southeast Asia. Thousands of Chinese nationals are believed to be among both the victims forced to work in the scam centres and those defrauded of billions of dollars through online fraud schemes.
