Vietnamese kidney brokers arrested in Hanoi
Thursday, February 18, 2021, 15:32 GMT+7
Two Vietnamese men have been arrested for brokering kidney deals for patients in need in Ba Dinh District, Hanoi.
Ba Dinh police caught Tran Xuan Hiep, 30, living down Thinh Hao 3 Alley in Hang Bot Ward, Dong Da District and Nguyen Duy Phuong, 33, residing on Ton Duc Thang Street in Cat Linh Ward, Dong Da District red-handed hosting four kidney sellers.
The arrest was carried out on February 2, after the Ba Dinh police had pursued an investigation into the case.
At the police station, Hiep and Phuong admitted that they were familiar with the procedure for kidney sales and receipt as they had been kidney sellers before.
The duo looked for people willing to sell their kidneys on social media, promising them VND230 million (US$9,964) per kidney once the transplant was successful.
After reaching consent with kidney sellers, the two kidney brokers would find patients who needed kidney transplantation at hospitals.
They said they had successfully brokered kidneys for many people.
Hiep and Phuong’s latest deals before they were arrested were made on February 1 when they managed to broker two kidneys for two patients at VND1.1 billion ($47,647) each.
They pocketed VND200-300 million ($8,669-13,000) from each successful deal.
The two men are being investigated for “trading human organs,” an offense that can be punishable with life imprisonment.
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