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A Chinese judicial body has condemned five leading individuals of an infamous Burmese mafia to capital punishment as Chinese authorities maintains its efforts on scam operations in South East Asia.

Altogether, 21 clan members and associates were sentenced of scams, homicide, injury and additional offenses, reported a state media document published on the judicial website.

The group is one of a small number of mafias that gained influence in the last two decades and transformed the impoverished remote area of Laukkaing into a wealthy hub of gambling establishments and entertainment zones.

Over the past few years they pivoted to scams in which numerous of trafficked people, many of them from China, are ensnared, abused and forced to defraud others in criminal activities valued at huge sums.

Details of the Sentencing

Mafia boss Bai Suocheng and his son Bai Yingcang were among the several men given to execution by the judicial body. Yang Liqiang, A third figure and Chen Guangyi were the remaining sentenced.

A couple of individuals of the Bai family syndicate were handed delayed executions. Several were sentenced to life in prison, while additional individuals were handed jail sentences between three to 20 years.

This family, who led their own armed group, established 41 compounds to house their online fraud operations and casinos, authorities said.

Scale of Criminal Schemes

Such illegal operations involved over 29bn yuan ($4.1bn; £3.1bn). These activities also resulted in the fatalities of several Chinese nationals, the self-inflicted death of an individual and multiple injuries, official sources stated.

The harsh penalties delivered by the judicial body are part of the Chinese campaign to eliminate the large fraud networks in South East Asia - and send a strong message to additional criminal groups.

Background of the Clans

These families became dominant in the 2000s with the support of a prominent figure - who currently heads the country's regime. The leader had wanted to bolster allies in the town after ousting its earlier warlord.

Within the families, the Bais were "absolutely number one", the son earlier informed state media.

"At that time, we was the dominant in both the government and armed circles," he stated in a film about the Bai family, shown on official channels in the summer.

In the same film, a individual at their fraud facilities recalled the abuse he had experienced at the location: besides being assaulted, he had his nails removed with instruments and two of his fingers amputated with a tool.

Additional Allegations

The son is included in those who were given to execution this week. The individual has additionally been independently sentenced of planning to trade and produce a large quantity of methamphetamine, state media announced.

Downfall of the Groups

Their fall came in last year as situations changed.

Over a long period Chinese authorities has pressed the regime to limit scam schemes in Laukkaing.

Recently, the authorities announced legal actions for the most prominent figures of such families.

The patriarch, the clan's head, was included in the warlords who were extradited to Beijing from Myanmar in recent months.

"Why is the Chinese government making so much effort to target the four families?" a Chinese investigator stated in the July documentary.

This serves as a warning individuals, no matter your position, your base, when you engage in such terrible crimes affecting the nationals, you will face consequences."