Kidney trafficking gang that ran underground hospital jailed by Beijing court

Fifteen people involved in the black-market organ trade - including doctors - have been sentenced to prison by a Beijing court for harvesting and selling 51 kidneys, the largest haul in recent mainland history.

The group's mastermind, Zheng Wei, 46, was sentenced to 12 years in jail by the No 1 Intermediate People's Court on Wednesday, while 14 other members received terms between 3-1/2 years and nine years, the Beijing Times reported. They were charged with coercing people into selling their organs.

From 2010 to 2012 the group harvested kidneys from people willing to have one of their vital organs cut out in exchange for 21,000 yuan (HK$26,400) to 25,000 yuan.

They transported the kidneys to a major Beijing hospital. Clients would allegedly pay more than 200,000 yuan to Zheng.

The hospital's name was not disclosed by the court and it was unclear if the institution would be liable.