(MENAFN) Chinese authorities have intensified their crackdown on organized crime networks in Myanmar that have lured thousands of Chinese citizens abroad and forced them to participate in online scams. The operations, which have cost victims billions of dollars, were largely run by powerful mafia families in Laukkaing, a border town once controlled by local warlords.

A striking example of the crackdown was shown in a Chinese state media documentary, featuring Chen Dawei, a member of the Wei family, one of the notorious crime syndicates.

Handcuffed and questioned by investigators, Chen recounted his role in ordering the killing of a person as part of criminal activities. Chinese authorities emphasized that the message of the crackdown is clear: “It's to warn other people, no matter who you are, where you are, as long as you commit such heinous crimes against Chinese people, you will pay the price.”

The Wei, Liu, Ming, and Bai families rose to prominence in the early 2000s, transforming Laukkaing into a hub of casinos, red-light districts, and later scam operations. These scam farms confined people against their will, forcing them to commit fraud online under threat of brutal punishment, often targeting Chinese citizens. The fall of these criminal empires began in 2023 when Myanmar authorities arrested the families and handed them over to China. Chinese courts have since prosecuted them for human trafficking, fraud, and homicide. Eleven members of the Ming clan and five of the Bai clan have been sentenced to death, while others received long prison terms, with cases against the Wei and Liu families ongoing.

The rise of these clans followed a reshuffling of local power in Laukkaing orchestrated by Myanmar’s military under Min Aung Hlaing. In the aftermath, families like the Weis and Lius gained political and military influence, controlling infrastructure, security forces, and local governance. They initially profited from gambling and prostitution but later expanded into cyber scam operations, running dozens of compounds that funneled billions from victims abroad.

Accounts from freed workers reveal a pattern of extreme abuse, including beatings, electric shocks, amputation, and starvation for non-compliance. Many Chinese victims had been lured with promises of lucrative jobs—a temptation heightened by economic slowdown and high youth unemployment in China.

The impact of these crimes has spread beyond victims, shaping public awareness and culture in China. Reports of scams have circulated widely on social media, and films such as the 2023 blockbuster No More Bets, which depicts the trafficking of Chinese workers to scam farms, have influenced tourism and raised awareness of the growing threat of these operations.

China’s campaign seeks not only to punish the perpetrators but also to warn others against involvement in cross-border crimes, effectively signaling the start of a concerted effort to dismantle the Southeast Asian scam industry.

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