Illegal surrogacy business busted in Shenzhen

Shenzhen health authorities recently busted an illegal surrogacy "operating room and lab" in a five-story villa in Longhua district.

Six women and a man were arrested, including a surrogate mother and a woman providing egg cells.

According to mainland media, an operating room and a laboratory were set up on the third floor of the villa at Meihua Mountain estate, and the two rooms were connected through a window to transfer the egg cells and human embryos.

"There were two electrically powered incubators containing four to five petri dishes with different names marked on them. We also seized a liquid nitrogen barrel outside the laboratory, containing a dozen tubes with names," said Chen Yilin, a district health officer.

An egg cell container with liquid attached to it and syringes were found inside the operating room.

Officers found a cleaning room on the second floor, with washed operating clothes hanging inside. Medical tools, including vaginal dilators, operating trays and tweezers were seized.

They also found liquid nitrogen in the warehouse of the villa.

Law enforcers and experts have proven that all drugs and medical equipment were used for egg cell collection and embryo transfer.

Six women - a surrogate mother, a woman providing egg cells, a client waiting for an embryo transfer, laboratory staff and two nurses - and a man, surnamed Chen, alleged to be the venue operator, were arrested.

However, the man claimed to be a cleaner and had no idea what the medical equipment was used for.

"I'm only responsible for doing the cleaning work here," he said.

But officers later found that Chen was indeed the operator of the surrogacy business.

He later admitted to renting the villa to run the business and that he hired a driver to carry surrogate mothers and egg cell providers.

"All windows of the car they used were covered by black curtains. The women had no idea where they were once they got on the car, and their mobile phones would also be taken away," Chen Yilin said.

Operator Chen was fined for practicing assisted reproductive technology without a medical license. All equipment and drugs found were also confiscated.

Other medical staff involved in the illegal business were given administrative punishment.

According to mainland laws, people are barred from selling and buying egg cells and embryos and all medical institutions are banned from conducting surrogacy-related activities.

Those who violate the laws may receive a fine of up to 30,000 yuan (HK$32,600) and be prosecuted.