China Sentences Five Top Bai Syndicate Leaders to Death
Chinese Court Sentences Five Senior Bai Syndicate Members to Death
A Chinese court has handed down death sentences to five high-ranking members of the infamous Bai family mafia from Myanmar. This action underscores Beijing’s escalating efforts to dismantle scam networks operating across Southeast Asia. The Bai syndicate was involved in multiple serious criminal activities, including telecom fraud, illegal gambling, kidnappings, extortion, and forced prostitution.
Details of the Sentences and Criminal Activities
The Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court sentenced mafia chief Bai Saw Chain and his son Bai Yin Chin to death, along with Yang Liqiang, Hu Xiaojiang, and Chen Guangyi. Additionally, two other Bai family leaders received suspended death sentences, five received life imprisonment, and nine others were given prison terms ranging from three to twenty years.
The group’s operations caused the deaths of six Chinese citizens and injured several others, with one individual taking their own life. Authorities estimate that the financial damage from the syndicate’s gambling and fraud schemes exceeded 29 billion Chinese yuan (around 4.06 billion USD).
Bai Yin Chin was also convicted of collaborating in the production and trafficking of approximately 11 tons of methamphetamine. The sentencing drew the attention of political figures, lawmakers, and family members of those convicted, highlighting China’s intensified crackdown on cross-border online fraud targeting its nationals.
The Bai Family’s Rise and Influence
Emerging in the 2000s, the Bai family transformed Laukkaing from an impoverished town into a lucrative hub of casinos and red-light districts. Over time, the syndicate evolved into large-scale scams that exploited thousands of trafficked workers, many originating from China, forcing them into criminal enterprises that generated billions in revenue.
The Bai clan controlled its own armed militia and established 41 compounds to run their online scam operations and casino businesses. Bai Yin Chin once claimed to the media that the Bai family was the dominant force among the local clans.
The Fall of the Bai Syndicate
The syndicate’s decline began in 2023 amid shifting political pressures. Beijing had long urged Myanmar’s military government to crack down on illegal scam operations in Laukkaing. That year, Chinese authorities issued arrest warrants for leading members of the syndicate.
By 2024, Bai Yin Chin and other key warlords were extradited to China from Myanmar, effectively marking the end of the once-powerful Bai mafia.
