Seven individuals arrested in Hanoi for involvement in a kidney trafficking ring.
From the beginning of 2024 until now, Pham Van Hung and his accomplices have brokered the buying and selling of kidneys, successfully facilitating approximately 25 to 30 kidney transplants at major hospitals in Hanoi.
On September 13th, the Criminal Police Department of the Ministry of Public Security announced that, in coordination with the Hanoi City Police, they had successfully dismantled a human organ trafficking ring (liver, kidneys) that had been operating in Hanoi since 2024.
Previously, implementing Plan No. 388 of the Ministry of Public Security on the intensified crackdown on human trafficking, through intelligence gathering, the Criminal Police Department discovered a group of individuals involved in the buying and selling of human body parts (liver, kidneys) in Hanoi and other localities, led by Pham Van Hung (born in 1983), residing in Bo De Ward (Hanoi). The leadership of the Criminal Police Department assigned the Department for Prevention and Investigation of Crimes Against Persons to establish a special case to combat and dismantle this ring.
Based on the investigation documents, on September 10th, the Department for Prevention and Investigation of Crimes Against Personal Rights, Criminal Police Department, in coordination with the Criminal Police Department of Hanoi City Police, conducted the arrest and urgent search of the residences of the suspects in the network in Bo De Ward, including: Pham Van Hung, Tran Ngoc Ba (born in 1990), Phung Thi Thao (born in 1984), Le Thanh Thanh (born in 1998), Nguyen Thi Thu Ngan (born in 1991), Pham Thi Ngoc Thuy (born in 1992), and Nguyen Thi Hoa (born in 1989), residing in Viet Hung Ward (Hanoi); and summoned and questioned those with related rights and obligations.
During the search of the suspects' residences, the police seized numerous related items and documents, including many screening and compatibility test records for individuals wishing to sell their kidneys for transplantation. Based on the investigation, collected evidence, and the suspects' statements, the investigating agency determined that, recognizing the high demand for kidney transplants among kidney failure patients, Pham Van Hung colluded with Tran Ngoc Ba, Phung Thi Thao, Le Thanh Thanh, Nguyen Thi Thu Ngan, Pham Thi Ngoc Thuy, Nguyen Thi Hoa, and several others to organize and broker the buying and selling of kidneys for profit.
To find people willing to buy or sell kidneys, the perpetrators use Facebook accounts to post ads seeking liver or kidney donors, along with contact phone numbers. Once they find a buyer, they set a price (approximately 1.2 billion VND for one kidney), with the buyer responsible for all surgical and testing costs for the seller.
Once they find potential buyers, the traffickers take them to hospitals for health check-ups, assessments, and specific tests (such as HLA compatibility tests) for transplantation. After selecting a buyer-seller pair with compatible HLA scores that meet the criteria for transplantation, the traffickers instruct the buyers to complete the necessary legal paperwork at the local level and go through the medical procedures for the hospital to proceed with the organ transplant.
Typically, the intermediaries pay the seller between 450 million and 550 million VND for one kidney (depending on the seller's health condition and blood type). Just before the transplant, the buyer must transfer the agreed-upon amount to the intermediaries. Upon receiving the money, the intermediaries pay the seller or their relatives, deducting the costs of screening and post-operative expenses for the seller. The remaining 450 to 500 million VND is then divided among the intermediaries as profit.
To avoid detection by authorities, the suspects frequently changed their residences, primarily using social media to conduct transactions in the buying and selling of human organs. Simultaneously, each member of the group was assigned specific roles, preventing buyers and sellers from meeting before the transplant. Furthermore, the suspects rented houses in Bo De ward to house those wishing to sell their kidneys during the screening and preparation for transplantation.
During the investigation, the police also clarified that from the beginning of 2024 until now, Pham Van Hung and his accomplices had brokered the buying and selling of kidneys for approximately 25 to 30 successful transplant cases at major hospitals in Hanoi.
Currently, the Hanoi City Police Investigation Agency has issued a decision to temporarily detain the following group of suspects: Pham Van Hung, Tran Ngoc Ba, Phung Thi Thao, Le Thanh Thanh, Nguyen Thi Thu Ngan, Pham Thi Ngoc Thuy, and Nguyen Thi Hoa for the crime of "buying and selling human body parts".
In addition, the Criminal Police Department is continuing to coordinate and direct the Investigation Agency of the Hanoi City Police to verify, investigate, collect documents, and consolidate evidence to prove the criminal acts of the suspects; expanding the investigation to clarify all related criminal acts in order to strictly handle them according to the law.
