In a trial held on September 29 in Wenzhou City, China, 11 members of the Ming mafia family, involved in fraud, gambling, and drug trafficking, were sentenced to death.
According to the BBC, 5 more members were given suspended death sentences, 11 people were given life imprisonment, and the rest were sentenced to deprivation of liberty from 5 to 24 years.
The Mings had been engaged in illegal activities for years in Laukkai City, Myanmar, earning billions of dollars in revenue. People were tortured in the centers they managed, and in some cases, even killed. The UN refers to such criminal networks as "exploitation based on deception and coercion."
Two years ago, after rebel groups captured Laukkai City, the head of the Ming family was assassinated. The remaining members were then handed over to China by the Myanmar government.
According to the court verdict, the crimes have been ongoing since 2015. This case is assessed as part of a large-scale campaign against cross-border crimes being conducted in China.
