Islamabad, August 23: Pakistan’s illegal organ trafficking has evolved into a significant international issue, catering to foreign demand. A recent report highlights that this crime is not limited to domestic operations but has crossed borders.
In June, authorities uncovered a case involving the export of placentas to Vietnam from Islamabad, shedding light on the international nature of this trade. Previous reports have also indicated the phenomenon of transplant tourism, where foreign patients come to Pakistan for illegal organ transplants.
According to the ‘Pakistan Observer,’ this cross-border aspect brings together local brokers, foreign patients, cash payments, and forged medical documents. The trade thrives in areas with minimal oversight. When clients span multiple countries, the supply chain extends beyond Pakistan, complicating efforts to apprehend and halt these crimes. The real challenge lies not in the lack of major arrests but in the failure to dismantle these operations permanently after each raid.
The report underscores a harsh reality: poverty, regulatory failures, and medical malpractice turn vulnerable individuals into commodities in the criminal world.
It states, “Organ trafficking in Pakistan has moved beyond hidden deals. Investigators have linked recent operations to organized networks involving brokers, medical professionals, and intermediaries, allegedly using forged documents and circumventing approvals through calculated financial arrangements.”
In June 2026, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested two suspected brokers who were reportedly luring brick kiln workers, daily wage laborers, and other economically disadvantaged individuals for illegal kidney transplants. This arrest followed a previous operation in Islamabad, where a doctor and several members of his medical team were apprehended.
Officials revealed that this network had conducted approximately 187 illegal kidney transplants. Patients were charged between $21,500 (6 million Pakistani Rupees) and $36,000 (10 million Pakistani Rupees) for each operation, while donors received only a small fraction of this amount.
In another operation on June 25, the FIA arrested five suspects in Islamabad, including three Chinese nationals and two Pakistanis, accused of involvement in the illegal trade of human organs.
Authorities reported that fresh, dried, and processed human placentas were seized during the raid, allegedly sourced from hospitals in Peshawar, Rawalpindi, and Lahore. The placentas were reportedly mislabeled as sheep organs for export, with Vietnam as the intended destination.
The report concludes, “This case has broadened the scope of the trade. It is not limited to kidney trafficking or local transplant scams; it also involves the collection, processing, and export of human biological materials through hospital-associated channels.”
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