CHINA / DIPLOMACY
11 members of northern Myanmar-based Ming family crime syndicate executed after appeals rejected and Supreme People's Court approval
Published: Jan 29, 2026 01:28 PM
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The 11 defendants of the northern Myanmar-based Ming family crime syndicate case, who was sentenced to death in September 2025, were executed, CCTV reported Thursday. 

The defendants organized, led or participated in crimes of the syndicate, their acts constitute more than 10 criminal charges including intentional homicide, intentional injury, illegal detention, fraud and running casinos. 

The Wenzhou Intermediate People's Court in East China's Zhejiang Province in September 2025 sentenced the syndicate members Ming Guoping, Ming Zhenzhen, Zhou Weichang, Wu Hongming, Wu Senlong, Fu Yubin and five others to death, along with corresponding additional penalties. 

Some of the defendants appealed and the Zhejiang Higher People's Court of rejected the appeals and maintained the first-instance verdict on November 25.

China's Supreme People's Court reviewed the case and confirmed that since 2015, the Ming family criminal gang, led by core family members including Ming Guoping and Ming Zhenzhen, had established multiple compounds in northern Myanmar's Kokang region. The group recruited multiple financiers and provided armed protection to carry out telecom fraud and illegal gambling, involving more than 10 billion yuan ($1.4 billion) in illicit funds.

The criminal gang also colluded with other telecom fraud groups to deliberately kill, injure and illegally detain fraud-related personnel, resulting in the deaths of 14 Chinese citizens and injuries to several others, the Supreme People's Court confirmed, according to CCTV News. 

The top court ruled that the defendants committed extremely serious violent crimes with particularly egregious circumstances and consequences. The facts were clear, evidence sufficient, convictions accurate, sentencing appropriate and trial procedures lawful. The death sentences were therefore approved.

After receiving the criminal ruling and execution order from the Supreme People's Court, the Wenzhou Intermediate People's Court carried out the executions in accordance with the law. Prior to the executions, close relatives of the convicted individuals were granted to meet with them, CCTV reported.


Global Times