5 Myanmar gang members sentenced

Five members of a notorious Myanmar-based criminal group were sentenced for six criminal charges, including fraud and intentional injury, by a court in Chongqing on Friday.

Xu Faqi, the group's ringleader, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, while four other members received sentences ranging from 14 years to life imprisonment, based on each person's criminal acts, circumstances, and the degree of harm caused to society, according to the ruling announced by the Chongqing No 5 Intermediate People's Court.

The court said in a statement that the criminal organization, with Xu as its principal leader and Luo Yujun as its armed head, exploited Xu's local influence in Kokang, northern Myanmar, to collaborate with telecom fraud gangs. Since 2019, they established several scam compounds, involving illicit gains exceeding 1.1 billion yuan ($158 million).

During the armed protection of these operations, Xu's group also colluded with scam groups to intentionally harm individuals involved in fraud who did not comply with the management's orders, resulting in one death and one minor injury, the court noted.

Additionally, Xu was found to have conspired to commit crimes such as smuggling and drug trafficking.

More than 20 people, including national lawmakers and political advisers, attended the ruling announcement.

In October, China's Ministry of Public Security reported that the group led by Xu, also known as Xu Laofa, built or rented 14 scam compounds, including hotels and industrial parks, where large numbers of people were recruited to carry out telecom fraud. They were linked to more than 3,400 fraud cases, mainly targeting Chinese citizens.

Further details revealed that Chongqing police were assigned to investigate the case in September 2023 as part of a nationwide operation targeting cross-border criminal networks in northern Myanmar. In December 2023, after gathering substantial evidence, Chinese authorities issued a public warrant for Xu. In January 2024, thanks to China-Myanmar law enforcement cooperation, Myanmar police captured Xu and handed him over to Chinese authorities.

This is not the first Myanmar-based criminal group punished by Chinese courts. In September, a court in Zhejiang province found 39 members of a family-run syndicate guilty of 14 offenses, such as fraud, intentional killing and intentional injury, sentencing 11 of them to death. These 11 criminals, including ringleaders Mg Myin Shaunt Phyin and Ma Thiri Maung, were executed recently after the Supreme People's Court approved their death penalties.

In another high-profile case, five members of a 21-person family-run criminal organization in northern Myanmar were also sentenced to death by a court in Guangdong province. Furthermore, three other individuals suspected of operating for an extended period in Myanmar and leveraging armed forces to carry out criminal activities were indicted on multiple offenses by prosecutors in Fujian province.