Chinese Courts Sentence Three to Death in Wei Clan Casino and Fraud Case

Chinese courts sentenced Wei Huairen and two other defendants to death on October 13, 2026, in cases involving a Myanmar-based criminal network that operated illegal casinos and scam compounds in Kokang, near China’s border.

The Quanzhou Intermediate People’s Court and Nan’an People’s Court, both in Fujian province, also sentenced three defendants to life imprisonment. Another 55 received prison terms ranging from three years and three months to 24 years, according to Xinhua’s account of the first-instance judgments.

The courts put funds associated with gambling, fraud and other criminal activities at more than RMB12.2 billion. Asia Gaming Brief reported an approximate equivalent of US$1.7 billion. That figure covers the wider criminal operations and should not be described as casino revenue or profit alone. 

The judgments also included additional penalties, such as fines, confiscation of property and deportation, depending on the defendant. China’s Ministry of Justice legal-information platform separately published the sentencing breakdown on October 14.

Courts Describe Armed Protection for Criminal Compounds

According to the findings reported by Xinhua, the operations developed from 2019, using the Wei family’s influence and armed forces in Kokang. The network established multiple compounds in Laukkai and attracted financiers by offering armed protection.

The criminal activities included telecommunications and online fraud, operating casinos, extortion, organising prostitution, drug trafficking and facilitating illegal border crossings.

The court account identified two connected organisations: the group led by Wei Huairen and the Henry criminal group. Some alleged leaders and armed-force commanders were being dealt with in separate proceedings. 

The gambling activity was therefore part of a broader operation involving protected premises, criminal financing and coercion. The findings connect the casinos to that infrastructure, rather than treating them as an isolated gambling-law violation.

Findings Link the Network to Four Chinese Deaths

The courts found that the Wei network worked with fraud gangs inside the compounds to kill people involved in scam operations who refused to obey orders, causing the deaths of two Chinese citizens.

They also found that Chen Dawei, another defendant sentenced to death, used armed forces under his control to kill two other Chinese citizens. Liao Jingfang was the third defendant given a death sentence.

Asia Gaming Brief, citing Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, reported that Wei Huairen also operated a casino in Laukkai and controlled a local border guard unit. Myanmar police handed him over to China in January 2024.

The Wei family was among Kokang’s so-called four families targeted in China’s crackdown on cross-border fraud, which began in 2023. 

The October 13 decisions were first-instance judgments. They establish the sentences announced by the two courts, rather than confirmation that the death sentences have been carried out.