FUZHOU, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- China on Tuesday handed out death sentences to three leading members of a criminal gang led by the Wei family, which carried out criminal activities, including telecom fraud and gambling, in Myanmar.
Three others were sentenced to life imprisonment, while another 55 face jail terms ranging from three years and three months to 24 years, according to rulings made by the Intermediate People's Court of Quanzhou and People's Court of Nan'an, both in Fujian Province in east China.
The courts also correspondingly imposed supplementary punishments including fines, confiscation of property and deportation.
The courts found that the criminal gang led by the Wei family used its influence and set up multiple scam compounds in Kokang, Myanmar, where it exercised armed control and carried out various crimes starting from 2019, including telecom fraud, gambling, blackmailing, organized prostitution, drug trafficking and illegal border crossings.
Their gambling and fraud crimes involved 12.2 billion yuan (around 1.81 billion U.S. dollars), according to the court rulings.
Two Chinese nationals were killed as a result of the criminal gang led by the Wei family during its handling of disobedient personnel involved in telecom fraud, in collaboration with other scam rings, the courts said.
A member of the Wei family gang abused the militia force it controlled in wanton killings, causing the deaths of two Chinese nationals, the courts added.
The defendants were convicted of seven charges including murder and fraud, according to the court rulings. Lawmakers, political advisors, and family members of those involved, among others, watched from the public gallery as the verdicts were announced. ■
