Pakistani law enforcement authorities have successfully dismantled an international crime network illegally trafficking human placentas from various hospitals. This network covertly processed the medical waste to be smuggled abroad as raw materials for high-value beauty products and anti-aging injections.
The investigation led by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) began with a raid on a house in Islamabad that was misused as an illegal processing facility. During the operation, officers seized at least 500 kilograms of human placentas and detained nine suspects. Officers also thwarted an attempt to ship 100 kilograms of dried placenta at Islamabad International Airport intended to be smuggled to Vietnam.
Based on initial investigation results, the syndicate was capable of processing around 200 kilograms of placenta each month. The network allegedly colluded with rogue hospital staff in the cities of Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, and Peshawar. They purchased the post-birth organs for IDR 52,000 each, then dried them before exporting them to be processed into beauty injection liquids marketed at up to IDR 45.4 million per dose.
This criminal practice has sparked sharp criticism from local health practitioners. According to standard medical procedures, human placentas are classified as high-risk pathological waste that must be sterilized and destroyed via incineration within a maximum of 24 hours after delivery. Harvesting organs for commercialization not only exposes perpetrators to up to 10 years in prison, but also carries the potential to trigger the fatal spread of infectious diseases such as hepatitis B, syphilis, and HIV.
The rise of this illicit trade is driven by surging global demand for organ extract-based products. Although most countries prohibit the use of human tissue for beauty commodities, the potential market value of the placenta-based medical and cosmetics industry is projected to continue growing rapidly, reaching tens of trillions of rupiah in the coming years.
