UPDATE 2 - China executes 15 members of Myanmar-based criminal gangs

UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS, ADDS 2ND DECK

By Aamir Latif and Berk Kutay Gokmen

KARACHI, Pakistan / ISTANBUL (AA) - China has executed at least 15 leading members, including four on Monday, of gangs based in northern Myanmar who were found guilty of committing multiple crimes, including intentional homicide, telecom fraud and drug trafficking.

The four executed on Monday were sentenced to death by a court last November, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The executions were carried out by a court in Shenzhen in southern China’s Guangdong province after receiving approval from the Supreme People's Court.

On Thursday, China executed 11 criminals from the same gangs.

The executions were carried out in Wenzhou city in eastern China's Zhejiang Province after the 11 were sentenced to death in September last year.

Last year, more than 7,600 Chinese nationals suspected of telecom fraud were repatriated to China. In February, China, Myanmar, and Thailand launched a joint operation to repatriate fraud suspects from Myanmar's Myawaddy region.

Since Myanmar’s 2021 coup, which triggered a civil war, scam hubs have spread across the country's poorly regulated border regions.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun last week said Beijing has worked with Myanmar and other nations “to combat cross border telecom fraud and eliminate the telecom fraud criminals.”

“These efforts have achieved effective results. China will continue deepening international cooperation on law enforcement and fight telecom fraud and eliminate these crimes,” Guo said last Thursday.

- China extradites man from South Africa

Separately, Chinese police have extradited a man, surnamed Chen, from South Africa based on suspicions of his involvement in illegal business operations, China's Ministry of Public Security said Monday.

According to the Xinhua news agency, this case marked the first successful extradition since the extradition treaty between the two countries came into effect.

Chen allegedly ran an unauthorized currency exchange business for illegal profit, with the amount involved exceeding 49 million yuan ($7 million), according to investigators.

China submitted an extradition request for Chen after he was detained by South African police in July 2025.

In December 2025, a South African court ruled that Chen should be extradited to China.