China sentences three Myanmar-based gang leaders to death

Chinese courts sentenced three senior members of a criminal network based in Myanmar to death on Tuesday for offences including telecom fraud and gambling, state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.

The Intermediate People’s Court of Quanzhou and a court in Nan’an, both in Fujian province, handed down the sentences to members of the Wei family network.

Three other defendants were sentenced to life imprisonment, while 55 received prison terms ranging from three years and three months to 24 years. The courts also ordered fines, property confiscation and deportation.

Chinese authorities said the syndicate operated criminal compounds in Myanmar’s Kokang region, where it was involved in telecom fraud, gambling, extortion and other illegal activities.

The verdicts come as Beijing steps up its campaign against cross-border scam networks operating in Myanmar. In February, China executed 15 members of Myanmar-based criminal gangs convicted of crimes including murder, telecom fraud and drug trafficking, Anadolu Agency previously reported.

China has also broadened cooperation with Myanmar and Thailand to dismantle scam compounds and repatriate suspects. More than 7,600 Chinese nationals suspected of telecom fraud were returned from Myanmar last year, according to Chinese authorities.