Myanmar Hands Over Mob Bosses in Cyber-Fraud Bust

Myanmar authorities have transferred 10 suspects accused of being involved in organized cyber fraud, money laundering, and human trafficking in Myanmar and Mekong to the Chinese government.

Included in the list of the accused are the heads of three well-known crime families.

In December, China's Ministry of Public Security released a wanted list specifically targeting members of "family crime syndicates" that prey on Chinese citizens on its border. They do this using "pig butchering scams" or frauds that develop a connection with individuals, only to turn on them by offering fake investments.

"For a long time, multiple criminal groups in the Kokang Autonomous Region in northern Myanmar … have organized and opened fraud dens, openly armed fraud, and carried out telecommunications and network fraud crimes against Chinese citizens," China's Ministry of Public Security said.

The ministry announced that Bai Suocheng, former chairman of the Kokang region, as well as his son and daughter, and two other heads of crime families Wei Chaoren and Liu Zhengxiang were arrested and sent to a detention center. Liu Zhengmao and Xu Laofa, two other suspects, alongside four others who were unnamed met the same fate.  

As pressure intensifies, it seems that syndicate heads feel the need to relocate to other areas in the country, and four suspects on China's wanted list are still at large. However, the ministry considers this extradition and handover to be a "landmark achievement" between China and Myanmar.