Spain: Police arrest 5 of trying to force migrant to sell kidney

Spanish police say they have arrested five people suspected of trying to force a poor and vulnerable Moroccan immigrant to sell one of his kidneys for 6,000 euros ($7,000).

A police statement on Monday said the man tried to pull out of the deal while undergoing clinical tests but the group kidnapped him and threatened to kill him if he didn't go ahead.

The statement said the alleged buyer was a leader of a criminal gang specialising in robberies whose son had kidney problems.

Spain's National Transplant Organization alerted police to the case.

The statement said the gang, which burgled luxury houses in Spain and abroad, was dismantled with the help of Belgian and German police over the past two years.

Fourteen European nations signed an international treaty to fight human organ trafficking in Spain in March. The illegal business generates 1.2 billion dollars in profits worldwide every year, according to the Council of Europe, which drew up the treaty.


Photo credit: IBTimes