The Criminal Police Department under the Ministry of Public Security announced on September 14 that, in coordination with the Hanoi Police, it had dismantled a human organ trafficking ring dealing in livers and kidneys that had been operating in Hanoi since 2024.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the ring, led by Pham Van Hung, 42, residing in Bo De Ward, Hanoi, was active in Hanoi and several other provinces. During searches of the residences of six alleged accomplices, police seized a large number of documents and materials, including medical screening records and compatibility test results of individuals seeking to sell their kidneys for transplant procedures.
According to case files, exploiting the high demand for kidney transplants, Hung conspired with his accomplices to organize and broker illegal sales for profit. They recruited sellers and buyers mainly through social media posts. Once a buyer was found, the group charged VND1.2 billion per kidney, of which the seller received between VND450 million and VND550 million. From early 2024 to the present, Hung and his associates are believed to have facilitated between 25 and 30 successful kidney transplants at major hospitals in Hanoi.
The Hanoi Police have now placed Hung and six other suspects in temporary criminal custody on charges of “trafficking in human organs.”
