China has executed 11 members of the notorious Ming family criminal gang, who ran mafia-like scam centers in Myanmar and killed workers who tried to escape, Chinese state media reported on Thursday. At its peak, the group had 10,000 people working to conduct scams and other crimes, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV. After years of complaints by relatives of trafficked scam center workers and growing international media attention, Beijing cracked down on the compounds in 2023. Family head Ming Xuechang, who had also served as member of a Myanmar state parliament, later killed himself while in custody, Chinese state media reported at the time. In Myanmar, scam compounds have been shielded by corruption and lawlessness that has long saturated the country’s border regions.

Source: CNN January 29, 2026 08:28 UTC