The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested five individuals allegedly involved in an international human placenta smuggling ring operating under the cover of a legitimate human hair and wig export business in Islamabad. The accused were remanded in FIA custody as investigators uncover the full scale of the operation, which ran undetected for nearly a year.
Arrests and Seizures
The suspects include Chinese nationals Li Gangcai, Wang Bao, and Peng Fei Guo, along with Pakistani nationals Muhammad Waqas and Qaiser Hanif. They were arrested last week following a tip-off that led the FIA, in coordination with the Human Organ Trafficking Authority (HOTA), to raid properties in Sector F-7/1 and Sector E-11, Islamabad. Officials described the sites as fully operational processing plants hidden inside private residences. Approximately 550 kilograms of human placenta in fresh, dried, and processed forms were seized from the two locations, and an additional consignment of about 500 kilograms intended for export was also intercepted.
Modus Operandi and Profit Margins
According to an official privy to the investigation, who spoke to The Nation on condition of anonymity, the three Chinese nationals had a clear division of labor. One allegedly washed and dried the placenta, another baked and processed it, and the third handled packaging and export documentation. Consignments were shipped to Vietnam under the product name “Sheep Placenta,” misdeclared as animal-origin material. The financial scale of the operation is striking: each placenta was purchased locally for around PKR 800, while raw product fetched PKR 10,000 to PKR 15,000 per kilogram inside Pakistan. After processing, it was exported for PKR 50,000 to PKR 60,000 per kilogram, with finished products commanding PKR 500,000 to PKR 600,000 per kilogram in international markets. Human placenta is used in anti-aging creams, cosmetics, injectables, and even as food in some countries, with global trade running into millions of dollars. However, commercial trade in human placenta is banned in Pakistan, China, the United States, Britain, and most other nations.
Supply Chain and Cover Story
The gang sourced placenta from suppliers in Lahore, Peshawar, and Rawalpindi. Investigators suspect the supply chain extended beyond hospitals to private waste management contractors, with some workers allegedly diverting placenta before lawful disposal. Several individuals have been identified, and raids are ongoing to apprehend others linked to the network. Muhammad Waqas is believed to be the primary local operative. The cover story was meticulously constructed: a large quantity of human hair was recovered from the premises, and the export company’s name contained the word “Hair.” The accused obtained business visas linked to the hair trade, allowing the placenta operation to function without suspicion. Lawyers for the two Pakistani accused argue that Waqas and Hanif were genuinely engaged in the hair and wig business with the Chinese nationals and had no connection to the placenta operation.
Health Risks and Legal Proceedings
In court on Tuesday, Investigating Officer Inspector Faheem Mustafa warned that placenta sourced from mothers with infectious diseases such as HIV or cancer, if used in cosmetic, injectable, or edible products, could pose serious public health risks to consumers. The court granted a further two days of custody and ordered the men to be produced again on July 2. Officials noted that the operation ran undetected for close to a year, raising serious questions about hospital managements that may have supplied the material, health departments responsible for monitoring biological waste disposal, and customs authorities that cleared misdeclared consignments for export.
High-Level Monitoring
FIA Director General Dr. Usman Anwar is personally monitoring the investigation, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has taken notice of the case. China’s embassy in Islamabad has also contacted the FIA, noting that the trade is illegal in China as well. The FIA has described this as the first case of its kind in Pakistan, and further arrests are expected.
