Authorities busted an organ trafficking ring with transactions worth up to 1.5 billion VND per case.

Through intelligence gathering and surveillance in the area, the Department for Prevention of Human Trafficking (Department 5) of the Criminal Police Department discovered that Tran Van Hiep (born in 1971, residing in Hanoi) was involved in the following activities:buying and selling human body partsUnder the close direction of the leaders of the Criminal Police Department, the detectives of Room 5 established a plan of action and discovered that Hiep resided in Quang An ward, Tay Ho district. This man was looking for intermediaries to buy and sell human body parts, especially livers.

The buyer of the liver had to pay Hiep about 1.2 billion VND, while the seller only received 450 million VND. To find buyers, Hiep frequently visited major hospitals in Hanoi. Once he found someone willing to sell their liver, Hiep would take them to the hospitals for tests and assessments of the liver's "health."

Truong Thi Khuyen and Tran Van Hiep.

Besides going directly to hospitals, Hiep also joined Facebook groups such as: "Vietnam Kidney Donation and Transplantation Consulting Association," "Kidney Transplant Patients Association," etc., to post information related to buying and selling kidneys. Once he found a buyer or seller, Hiep would plan transportation arrangements.

Further investigation by the special task force identified several more accomplices of Hiep, namely Ly Van Quyen and Vu Manh Cuong, who sold kidneys. Particularly noteworthy was the assistance of a female suspect, Truong Thi Khuyen (born in 1966), residing in Luc Ngan district, Bac Giang province.

At that time, Khuyen was living as husband and wife with a man named NVB (who had previously sold a kidney in Hanoi), and Khuyen was the one who introduced Quyen and Cuong to Hiep to sell their livers and kidneys.

Around January 2021, due to difficult family circumstances and a debt of 70 million VND, Quyen agreed to sell his kidney and was introduced to a broker named Khuyen. Khuyen then introduced Quyen to Hiep, who offered to sell his liver for 450 million VND. However, after a successful liver transplant for Mr. NTP, from Hung Yen province, Quyen's health deteriorated due to his own cirrhosis (F4) and hepatitis C…

Regarding the case of Vu Manh Cuong selling his kidney; due to business losses, Cuong owed many people approximately 400 million VND. When he met Hiep, who offered to sell one kidney for 250 million VND, Cuong agreed to sell it to Ms. HTH, from Quang Ninh province. Subsequently, Hiep also brokered the sale of Nguyen Minh Truong's kidney, from Thai Nguyen province, to a buyer named P.D.N.

According to the Criminal Police Department's investigation, the total cost of a kidney transplant was 700 million VND per case; a liver transplant cost between 1.2 billion and 1.5 billion VND per case. Of this, Hiep profited from the difference of 100 million to 200 million VND per recipient, while Khuyen received 20 to 30 million VND as payment from Hiep.

On August 3, 2022, Hiep led three women to the Giai Phong street area (Hanoi), where they were caught red-handed by the police. At the police station, these women confessed that they were with Hiep for kidney testing… To date, the Investigation Police Department of the Ministry of Public Security has initiated legal proceedings and detained defendants Tran Van Hiep and Truong Thi Khuyen for the crime of “buying, selling, and appropriating human tissue or body parts” under Article 154 of the Penal Code and transferred the case file to the Hanoi City Police Investigation Department for further investigation.