On November 4th, 21 members of the Bai family, one of the “Four Big Families” involved in telecom fraud in northern Myanmar, were on trial in Shenzhen, with Bai Suocheng and Bai Yingcang among the five main offenders sentenced to death.
According to reports from China’s state media CCTV News, on November 4th, the Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court handed down the verdict on the Bai family criminal group case. Bai Suocheng, Bai Yingcang, Yang Liqiang, Hu Xiaojiang, and Chen Guangyi were sentenced to death; Li Fushou and Li Zhide were also sentenced to death, with a two-year reprieve; Guo Jianzheng, Pan Xian, and five others were sentenced to life imprisonment; Li Longhua, Luo Wendong, and nine others were sentenced to varying prison terms from 20 years to 3 years, along with fines, confiscation of property, deportation, and other additional penalties.
Official statements claim that the Bai family criminal group relied on family armed forces to set up 41 parks such as Baisheng Hotel, Tenglong Building, and Cangsheng Technology Park in the Kokang region of Myanmar. They recruited and attracted “financiers” such as Yang Liqiang, Pan Xian, and Yan Jiefeng to settle in and provide armed protection, collaborating with the “financiers” in carrying out telecom fraud, operating casinos, intentional killing and injury, kidnapping, extortion, organizing prostitution, forced prostitution, and human smuggling, with the amount involved exceeding 29 billion yuan (renminbi), resulting in the deaths of six Chinese citizens, one suicide, and multiple injuries.
Furthermore, Bai Yingcang was involved in trafficking and manufacturing approximately 11 tons of methamphetamine, known as “ice.”
Public records show that the “Four Big Families” in northern Myanmar refer to the four Kokang family clans that controlled politics, economy, and military in the Kokang region from 2009 to 2023, namely the Bai family, Wei Chaoren family, Liu Guoxi family, and Liu Zhengxi family. Additionally, the Ming Xuechang family is often mentioned in conjunction with the Four Big Families and sometimes collectively referred to as the “Five Big Families” or replaced by the Ming Xuechang family due to the decline of the Liu Guoxi family, forming the “Four Big Families.”
Among them, the Bai family is the largest criminal group in the region, possessing powerful private armed forces and the ability to infiltrate local politics, directly controlling several large-scale telecom fraud parks in the Kokang region.
Earlier reports stated that on January 6, 2024, the Myanmar army stationed in the Kokang region surrendered to the allied forces, ending the rule of the Kokang Four Big Families in the Kokang region. On January 30, the Myanmar police handed over Bai Suocheng, Bai Yingcang, Wei Huairen, Liu Zhengxi, Liu Zhengmao, and Xu Laofa, six leaders, and four other criminal suspects to the Chinese authorities.
In addition to the Bai family, on September 29 of this year, 11 members of the Ming Xuechang family were also sentenced to death, 5 were given a suspended death sentence, and 11 received life imprisonment. The criminal activities of the Ming family criminal group included collaborating with a criminal group led by “financiers” to carry out telecom fraud, operate casinos, sell drugs, and organize prostitution, involving over 10 billion yuan in gambling and fraud funds, and killing 14 individuals who attempted to escape or disobey the management.
Moreover, on October 9, several key individuals from the Wei Chaoren family who were involved in fraud, intentional killing, organizing human smuggling, and extortion were prosecuted in Fujian. According to reports, the Wei family caused the deaths of 8 Chinese citizens in Myanmar, with fraudulent and gambling funds exceeding 14 billion yuan.
On October 15, Liu Zhengxi, the “richest man” in active in northern Myanmar, was also prosecuted. Police stated that since 2018, Liu Zhengxi has set up 28 scam parks in the eastern city of Kokang, suspected of multiple crimes including gambling, drug trafficking, and telecom fraud, involving billions of yuan.
As of now, the cases of the criminal groups of the “Four Big Families” in northern Kokang have all entered the judicial process. However, according to reports from the United Morning News, just weeks after the Myanmar government crackdown, multiple parks resumed operations.
Recently, the Myanmar military claimed to have eradicated the telecom fraud base KK Park, using drones and explosives to destroy some buildings. However, according to civilian rescue workers who spoke to Epoch Times, this “cleanup” operation is merely a facade in response to public opinion. Behind the official crackdown, fraud groups are transferring a large number of personnel and operations to more covert “black zones,” creating unprecedented challenges for humanitarian rescue efforts.