Cross-border telecom fraud gang stands trial

A six-day trial involving a 23-member cross-border criminal organization, which had been indicted on suspicion of 11 crimes including fraud, intentional killing and intentional injury, ended on Wednesday in Wenzhou, East China's Zhejiang province.

The Wenzhou Intermediate People's Court, which began publicly hearing the high-profile case on Friday, said on Wednesday that it will announce the verdict at a later date.

The case has received widespread attention since late 2023, when three key members of the criminal organization were captured and handed over to Chinese police for allegedly conducting telecommunications fraud in the Kokang region of northern Myanmar.

According to the indictment provided by Wenzhou prosecutors during the trial, the defendants, including Mg Myin Shaunt Phyin, and Ma Thiri Maung, were found to have used their influence in the Kokang region to develop an armed group and commit various crimes since 2015.

They set up scam compounds in the region, attracting other gangs to offer funds and armed support while engaging in criminal activities, such as transnational telecom scams, intentional homicide, intentional injury, illegal detention, operation of casinos, drug trafficking and organized prostitution, the prosecutors said.

The offenses resulted in the deaths of 14 Chinese nationals and the injury of six others, with gambling and fraud amounts exceeding 10 billion yuan ($1.37 billion), the prosecutors said.

The prosecuting authority specified that on Oct 20, 2023, to prevent the transfer of individuals involved in the fraud to China, the group colluded with the fund providers to relocate and hide the individuals, and used gunfire to prevent their escape, causing multiple deaths and injuries.

"The members of the group should be held criminally liable for 11 charges," the prosecutors added after providing relevant evidence to the court.

All the defendants and their lawyers also addressed the evidence during the trial.

More than 100 people, including families of the defendants, national lawmakers, political advisers and journalists, attended the hearing.

In November 2023, the public security department in Wenzhou issued a wanted notice for suspected key leaders of the group.

Following cooperation between China and Myanmar, Mg Myin Shaunt Phyin, Ma Thiri Maung and Myin Shut Lan, another key member of the cross-border criminal organization, were soon caught and sent to China for further investigation. The capture marked a major achievement in joint law enforcement between the two countries.