31-7-2023 (JAKARTA) Indonesian police have arrested three Bali immigration officers for their alleged involvement in an illegal organ trafficking syndicate. The syndicate is accused of transporting dozens of victims to Cambodia to sell their kidneys. The move comes as authorities crackdown on the suspected illegal organ trade ring, which involved 12 members, including a police officer and an immigration officer, identified as AH, accused of smuggling 122 victims abroad.
The three Bali immigration officers are accused of working with AH, who allegedly took bribes to allow victims lured by the trafficking ring to easily pass through immigration checks to Cambodia for kidney surgeries. The suspects will be brought to Jakarta and held in police custody.
Authorities believe there are more victims and are urging them to come forward. Some of the members of the cell are former donors who became recruiters using Facebook and WhatsApp to lure and trade victims.
The organ trafficking ring has been operating since 2019, earning 24.4 billion rupiah (RM7.2mil) in total, according to Jakarta police director for general crimes Hengki Haryadi. The traffickers received 200 million rupiah (RM60,215) for each kidney, pocketing 65 million rupiah (RM19,569) and giving the rest to the victims.
Organ trading is outlawed in Indonesia. The 10 syndicate members arrested last week face 15 years in prison and 600 million rupiah (RM180,645) in fines if found guilty of violating the country’s human trafficking law. The police officer was accused of obstructing the investigation and receiving bribes to help the accused traffickers move locations. He faces five years in prison if found guilty. Immigration officer AH is accused of abuse of power and faces up to 20 years in prison.
Cash-strapped Indonesians have previously been caught selling their kidneys online for as little as 50 million rupiah (RM15,053) each, fuelling a dangerous and illegal trade in human body parts. Much of the desperate trade is driven by poverty, family debt, or outstanding bank loans. Many of the 122 victims had lost their jobs in the pandemic and were exploited because of precarious financial situations, Haryadi said. The authorities are working to dismantle the illegal organ trade ring and bring those responsible to justice.
