Police in Peru claim to bust human fat trafficking ring

Peruvian police say they have broken up a group who they claim killed people in order to steal their body fat. Officers say a gang in the remote jungle had been killing people for their fat, draining it from their corpses and offering it on the black market for use in cosmetics. Eusebio Felix Murga, director of Criminal Police, told a news conference in Lima that the criminal organisation which trafficked "human fat" had been disbanded. Pictures from a Peruvian police handout video show officers in Huanuco province leading suspects to the spot where they allegedly buried their victims, and unearthing and measuring buried remains. However, medical experts have expressed doubts about an international black market for human fat, as in most countries it could be obtained so readily and in such amounts from people who are willing and ready to donate it. Peru's police chief of anti-kidnapping said three suspects had confessed to killing five people for their fat. He said the suspects, two of whom were arrested carrying bottles of liquid fat, told police it was worth $15,000 a litre. Police say they are now searching for the alleged buyer.

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ITN | November 20, 2009

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