TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Trafficking discussions on a minor’s seized phone alerted investigators to an alleged scheme to send jobseekers from Taiwan to China for organ harvesting.
Taoyuan District Prosecutors Office said Wednesday (Sept. 9) it was seeking seven-year prison terms for seven adults it had indicted, per CNA. The charges included attempts to remove organs through deception for profit, buy or sell people, and trick people into going abroad for profit, along with participation in a criminal organization.
None of the three identified victims was sent abroad, though prosecutors said group members confined them in a residence in Taoyuan’s Zhongli District while arranging their departure.
The group discussed possible typhoon delays to boat services in messages that used pig-head icons to represent victims, per Knews. The Criminal Investigation Bureau had seized the phone in a separate criminal case involving a minor. Investigators then examined financial and communications records.
Offers of lucrative smuggling and fraud money-mule work appeared on Telegram and Facebook. Three minors allegedly posted the ads after being promised payment of up to NT$300,000 (US$9,534) in the cryptocurrency Tether for each victim sent abroad for organ removal.
Investigators identified a man surnamed Chiang (江) as the alleged organizer and traced planning to August 2025. Members allegedly coordinated their roles through Telegram groups and contacted buyers in China, according to the reports.
A court approved detention without outside contact for four defendants following searches at five locations on May 21 and July 15, while the three minors will enter the juvenile court system.
