China expands human organ donation pilot (2)

RAMPANT BLACK MARKET

In order to curb rampant human organ trafficking, China launched a crackdown in 18 provinces and cities last year, said Wang Mingmei, director of the Chinese Sociological Association.

During the campaign, police cracked 28 human organ trafficking rings, seizing 137 suspects and rescuing 127 people abducted for their organs

Early this month, in Jiangxi's Poyang County, four suspects were sentenced to between six months and four years in jail for luring dozens of people into selling their kidneys.

Another 10 suspects in Jingdezhen City will soon face trial for illegally removing 18 human kidneys through privately run medical institutions.

In the Poyang case, a kidney seller got a mere 30,000 yuan (4,800 U.S. dollars) to 50,000 yuan, while the trader charged a staggering 280,000 yuan or even more from the buyers.

In the Jingdezhen case, the organ agent, organ harvesting surgeons and even anesthetists involved in the surgery pocketed money from working for human organ trafficking kingpins.

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