Chinese courts hand three death sentences in Myanmar scam network case

Three defendants were sentenced to death on Oct. 13 in the Wei family crime-group case involving scam centres in Myanmar’s Kokang region. Three others received life sentences and 55 were jailed.

The death sentences were imposed on Wei Huairen, Chen Dawei and Liao Jingfang, according to the Quanzhou Intermediate People’s Court account reported by CBS and AFP. Other court reporting described the judgments as first-instance decisions.

The remaining prison sentences ranged from three years and three months to 24 years. The case concerns the group’s operations near Myanmar’s border with China.

The court attributed telecommunications fraud, illegal gambling, drug trafficking, organised prostitution and killings of Chinese citizens to the group. It put proceeds from the operations at more than 12.2 billion yuan.

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV described a network of 14 large scam compounds that recruited people with promises of high wages. Such compounds can include both willing participants and people deceived or trafficked into coerced work.

The announcement concerns sentencing. It does not report that the three newly imposed death sentences have been carried out.