Frozen Seafood Containers Used To Smuggle Human Kidneys

A group of organ traffickers was recently arrested for dealing illegal human kidneys in China, but before their capture, the gang members reportedly escaped detection for some time by posing as innocent distributors of frozen seafood.

According to Shanghaiist, one of the gang members said the human kidneys were packed in a refrigerated shipping container labeled for frozen seafood. The gang member, a man named Mo Yongqing, said the human organs were shipped by plane from Nanchang to Guangzhou. He said he just told airport security that he was transporting frozen seafood, and the ruse reportedly worked every time.

The gang was eventually caught, however, and Mo and 11 other participants were sentenced to between two and nine years in prison. According to China.org.cn, the group allegedly made 1.5 million yuan, or approximately $246,000, from selling kidneys collected from donors recruited over the Internet. The kidneys were reportedly sold to transplant patients for 120,000 yuan, or $19,500 apiece. The donors were paid between $3,575 and $4,062 for their kidneys.