Illegal organ transplant racket targeting immigrants discovered in Spain
Thursday, March 13, 2014 @ 3:34 PM
SPAIN'S first-ever organ sale racket has been uncovered by police after a wealthy Lebanese man travelled to the country to 'buy' a new liver.
The illegal organisation was convincing strapped-for-cash immigrants in Spain to part with their organs, or parts of them, for as much as 40,000 euros a time.
A leader of a charity working to support migrants reported the network after finding out about it on the internet, and the Lebanese man and four others were arrested.
Whilst in Spain, the patient, who is said to be very rich, paid for tests on nine potential live donors and for his own medical care, and – ironically – ended up receiving a donated part of a liver from his own son, who proved to be a match.
He then left the country but upon returning for a check-up at the private hospital in Manises (Valencia), was arrested at the airport for collaborating with the donor racket.
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com