Greece Busts Human Egg-Trafficking Ring

Greek police said Wednesday it had dismantled a network that had smuggled assisted reproduction treatments from Turkey and illegally sold human eggs.

Eleven suspects, including two clinic managers and two pharmaceutical company owners, were detained, senior police official Theodoros Floratos told reporters.

The drugs bought from Turkey were sold on by the network to several clinics across Greece without proper authorization from the health authorities, he said.

In some cases, the drugs were used in a Thessaloniki clinic to fecundate donors, whose eggs the gang would then buy for around 1,000 euros ($1,300).

Greece has abundant and well-trained medical staff and became a major hub for infertility treatment in recent years.

Media in the recession-hit country had voiced concern over the legality of such activities and recently revealed several cases of infant trafficking.