A new documentary, co-produced by China Media Group (CMG) and the Ministry of Public Security, showcased the horrific conditions in telecommunications fraud centers in northern Myanmar. The film details the actions of Chinese police in dismantling major criminal syndicates operating in the region.
Titled 'The Decline of Telecommunications Fraud in Northern Myanmar,' the film features exclusive footage and interviews with leaders and financial sponsors from the 'Four Families' of northern Myanmar, who were recently executed. It also depicts the severe suffering of victims and forced laborers trapped in these illicit industrial zones.
The documentary provides insight into how Chinese judicial authorities overcame geographical and law enforcement barriers to track down and apprehend criminals entrenched abroad and causing damage.
During the peak of the telecommunications fraud wave in northern Myanmar, numerous misguided individuals flocked to the region, hoping for quick riches. The primary lure was a false image of prosperity—a myth spread by criminal syndicates that portrayed the area as a land strewn with gold and a haven of peace.
'The Four Families' established vast telecommunications fraud complexes to attract wealthy sponsors, using armed force to maintain control. They subjected low-level operatives to physical torture, psychological manipulation, and financial exploitation, turning telecom fraud into a new 'key to wealth' in their sordid history of capital accumulation.
The documentary highlights the monstrous wealth amassed by syndicate leaders. In 2023, Chinese police issued bounties on the heads of key leaders of the Wa State syndicate, including Bao Aiban and He Qunting.
He previously held the position of a local county chief, while Bao accumulated so much cash that he often had to dry stacks of banknotes on the roof and in the yard to prevent spoilage.
Guo, a key member of Bao's group, described the colossal scale of this wealth, noting that Bao possessed a massive warehouse entirely dedicated to storing cash. Guo stated in the video: 'One guard once stole over 10 million yuan ($1.5 million) from the gate, and Bao didn't even notice because he had too much money.'
The documentary also featured Wu Hongming, one of the main financial sponsors of the notorious Ming family syndicate. Commenting on his crimes, Wu coldly remarked: 'Wolves are born to eat meat, and lions are born to eat sheep.' Following the trial, Wu and ten other members of the syndicate were executed on January 29, 2026.
On December 30, 2024, the Procuratorate of Wenzhou City in Zhejiang Province, eastern China, officially initiated legal proceedings against 39 defendants involved in the main case concerning the Ming family criminal syndicate in northern Myanmar.
This move marked the first major legal action taken against 'The Four Families,' demonstrating a resolute commitment to prosecuting the monstrous crimes associated with telecommunications fraud in the region.
The case files included 1110 volumes, nearly 15,000 documents and physical pieces of evidence, over 50 terabytes of electronic data, and more than 500 directives regarding the collection and supplementation of evidence.
This enormous body of evidence, weighing two tons and forming a robust chain of custody, not only established a solid evidentiary basis for the prosecution of the Ming family syndicate but also set standards and guidelines for a nationwide coordinated campaign against cross-border telecommunications fraud.
On September 29, 2025, twenty-three defendants from the Ming family criminal syndicate were brought before the Wenzhou Intermediate Court. The case involved 12 murders resulting in 16 deaths and covered 14 different criminal charges. The court sentenced 11 defendants—including syndicate leaders Ming Guoping and Ming Zhenzhen—to death, and five others to death with a two-year suspended sentence.
This was the first instance since the founding of the People's Republic of China where full judicial jurisdiction was exercised over an armed and transnational criminal syndicate rooted abroad.