Authorities in China have carried out the executions of 11 people convicted in a sprawling criminal case that tied online scams, illegal gambling rings, and multiple killings together.
According to an Associated Press report, the ruling was handed down on January 29, and came from the Wenzhou city Intermediate People’s Court, which said the group was responsible for the deaths of 14 Chinese citizens while also operating fraud and betting networks that moved more than $1 billion.
The court identified two members of the Ming family — Ming Guoping and Ming Zhenzhen — as leaders of the operation. Several others, including Zhou Weichang, Wu Hongming, and Luao Jianzhang, were described as key organizers who helped manage the scam infrastructure and gambling activity.
Death sentences were handed down in September 2025. The defendants later appealed, but the court said those challenges were rejected in November.
The case stretches beyond one city. According to officials, the group was detained in late 2023 during a broader push targeting cross-border scam operations near China’s frontier with Myanmar. That region has become known for so-called “scam parks,” large compounds where teams operate phone and online fraud schemes targeting victims on a worldwide scale.
These operations often rely on a mix of people who are recruited, coerced, or trafficked to carry out fake investment pitches, romance scams, and illegal gambling platforms in a practice sometimes known as “pig butchering.” The networks can generate massive profits while leaving financial damage that spreads across multiple countries.
Chinese authorities have increased pressure on neighboring governments in Southeast Asia — including Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos — to dismantle these setups. The crackdown has involved arrests, extraditions, and coordinated sweeps across border areas.
In its statement, the Wenzhou court said the crimes involved “extremely serious consequences” and significant financial harm, and that the punishment was consistent with sentences already issued.