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Authorities in Pakistan have busted an alleged transnational human placenta smuggling network in Islamabad, leading to the arrest of five suspects, including three Chinese nationals. According to reports, the placentas were illegally processed before being smuggled to Vietnam, where authorities believe they were used in making anti-ageing products and injections.
An organised international smuggling network of human placentas used for high-value anti-ageing injections and cosmetic products has been busted in Pakistan. The syndicate came to light after the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) of Pakistan conducted raids on two illegal processing facilities in Islamabad and arrested five people, including three Chinese nationals.
The case has prompted a wider probe into possible links involving hospitals, waste management companies and Pakistani immigration officials, according to authorities and news reports.
The FIA conducted the raids on intelligence inputs about a network involving foreign nationals and Pakistani citizens engaged in the illegal trade of "human and biological material".
According to Pakistani newspaper, The Express Tribune, FIA teams raided a house in Islamabad's upscale F-7/1 sector after surveillance confirmed intelligence reports. Investigators found a "fully operational processing plant" where "human placentas" were allegedly being "cleaned", dried and processed before being exported under the label "She Placenta", reported The Express Tribune on June 26.
The FIA arrested five suspects from the premises, including three Chinese nationals — Li Gangcai, Wang Bao and Peng Fei Gua — along with two Pakistani citizens, Waqas and Qasim Hanif. During the operation, another Chinese national, identified only as Li, arrived at the property claiming to be an acquaintance of one of the arrested suspects, reported Riyadh-based Arab News.
Acting on information obtained during interrogation of the arrested suspects, FIA teams raided another property in Islamabad's E-11 sector, where officials discovered a similar processing centre equipped with refrigerators and biological materials.
Two additional Pakistani nationals were detained for questioning, according to The Express Tribune.
HUMAN PLACENTA EXPORTED TO VIETNAM, USED FOR ANTI-AGING MEDICATIONS
Arab News, citing the FIA, reported that investigators found a "complete plant for illegal processing of human organs, especially human placenta," inside Islamabad's F-7 residence.
"The finished products were exported to Vietnam under the name She Placenta," the FIA said, according to Arab News.
Authorities recovered processing machinery, raw biological material and finished products from the two locations.
A case has been lodged under Pakistan's Human Organ and Tissue Transplantation Act, 2010, and investigations are ongoing.
THE SMUGGLING SYNDICATE PURCHASED NEARLY 200 KG OF PLACENTA EVERY MONTH
The UK-based BBC, quoting FIA officials and Pakistan's Human Organ Transplant Authority, reported additional details suggesting the scale of the operation might have been far larger than initially disclosed.
According to the BBC, reporting days after the news broke on June 26, investigators believe the syndicate purchased nearly 200 kilograms of human placenta every month from hospitals in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. During last week's raid, officials allegedly recovered "around 500 kilograms of suspected human placenta from the illegal processing facility".
FIA officials separately intercepted a 100-kg consignment of suspected human placenta at Islamabad airport on June 26. The shipment was bound for Vietnam, the BBC report said.
Officials told the broadcaster that these placentas were allegedly purchased from hospitals for around 800 Pakistani rupees apiece and were intended to be processed into anti-ageing injections, each of which could reportedly sell for 700,000 Pakistani rupees, according to FIA officials cited by the BBC.
The suspects initially claimed they were processing sheep placenta. However, during questioning they admitted the material was human placenta, FIA officials told the British broadcaster.
WHY HUMAN PLACENTAS CARRY SIGNIFICANT VALUE
The placenta is a temporary organ that develops during pregnancy and supplies oxygen and nutrients to the foetus. After childbirth, it is generally discarded as clinical waste, donated for research or used for approved medical purposes with informed consent.
Healthy placentas are used in scientific research, including studies on pregnancy complications, genetics, immunology and stem-cell therapies. Some authorised medical programmes also use donated placental tissue to help treat burn victims or reconstruct damaged tissue.
Placental extracts, derived from either human or animal sources, have also found a niche in parts of the cosmetic and wellness industry, where they are marketed in creams, serums and injectable products claiming anti-ageing or skin-rejuvenating benefits.
However, medical experts note that scientific evidence supporting many such commercial claims remains limited and regulations governing their use vary widely across countries.
PAKISTANI AUTHORITIES CONDUCT WIDER INVESTIGATION OF ORGAN SMUGGLING SYNDICATE
According to the BBC, Pakistani investigators suspect the network extended beyond Islamabad into cities such as Lahore, Peshawar and Rawalpindi.
Authorities are also examining whether hospitals, waste management companies and immigration officials might have facilitated the alleged trafficking network.
An FIA official told the British broadcaster that while Pakistan has previously dismantled several illegal organ-transplant rackets, this is believed to be the country's first organised international case involving the trafficking of human placenta.
Earlier in the month, Pakistani authorities uncovered separate kidney trafficking operations. In February, police rescued a labourer allegedly abducted by a gang that surgically removed kidneys from poor workers for wealthy foreign recipients, according to The Express Tribune.
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Published By:
Avinash Kateel
Published On:
Jul 3, 2026 20:21 IST
