Gang accused of killing to sell human fat

Gang accused of killing to sell human fat

www.reuters.com

Peruvian police said on Thursday they had broken up a gang that allegedly killed dozens of people and sold their fat to buyers who used it to make cosmetics.

"We have people detained who have declared and stated how they murdered people with the aim being to extract their fat in rudimentary labs and sell it," said Police Commander Angel Toldeo.

(visit the link for the full news article)


Related News Links:
english.aljazeera.net
news.bbc.co.uk
www.nytimes.com

Coverage in the Western press focuses on quoting doctors and researchers who deny there can be much of a market for human fat.

Reminds me of all the denials about the black market in human organs.

Cosmetic companies may well use human fat in their products - but more the important market methinks, is the rapidly developing market for fat stem cells - for research and medical and consumer products.




www.reuters.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Thats messed up, why dont they just open up an obese clinic, lots of people would love to have their fat sucked out for free.

There has been a lot of Cops/Vandals and stuff on ATS lately, i think the Economy is hitting harder than people imagined..

But i have a theory.

I think the government dropped the economy to foil corruption, because when the economy fell, so many investigations began and there are people getting caught for stuff they normally owuldn't. I sure hope so... maybe we can prosper for another 20 years before the next recession :-\

Does any body know why human fat was needed as opposed to say pig fat? - Or is it just a case of it was easier to knock off 60 odd people?

Yeah, Kind of dumb to kill people for fat when they can get all the human fat they want for free in the U.S.

People would line up to get "fat" sucked out and it sure as hell is one of the dumbest reasons I have ever heard to "kill" for.

[edit on 20/11/09 by pieman]

Where's the Market for Human Fat?

Medical authorities say there's no market for human fat. Just like they said there was no black market in "illegally harvested" kidneys, or hearts, or lungs, or any other organs. Wrong.

In fact, there's a huge human fat stem cell industry taking off right now. It has little to do with "cosmetics," and much more to do with the silent pandemic of chronic and autoimmune disease that's destroying individual lives by the millions and bankrupting our planet's nations.

Obviously, the research has been going on for quite a while, maybe 3 or 4 decades. Now, the boyz are gonna need human fat in industrial quantities, just to fine tune their 'products' and start manufacturing.

One of those arrested told police the ringleader had been killing people for their fat for more than three decades.

...Gen Felix Burga, head of Peru's police criminal division, said there were indications that "an international network trafficking human fat" was operating from Peru.

The first person was arrested earlier this month in a bus station in Lima, carrying a shipment of the fat. ...one of the suspects ...said the fat was then sold to intermediaries in Lima and that the gang's leader, Hilario Cudena, had been carrying out such murders for decades, AP reported.

The alleged buyers of the fat are also being hunted by police.

BBC

Here's a quick glimpse at the human fat stem cell industry.

“To date Entest has filed two previous patent applications covering use of fat stem cell components in COPD and methods of using photoceuticals to enhance stem cell therapy. The current patent application has a variety of derivative uses outside of COPD including treatment of transplantation rejection, and other disease in which the immune system has gone awry” Stated David Koos, Entest’s CEO.

Entest BioMedical Files 3rd Patent Application for COPD Stem Cell Treatment

***

Shenzhen Beike Biotechnology Co. Ltd. ( www.beikebiotech.com... ), China's leading stem cell research and regenerative medicine company, announced that it has entered into an agreement with Yokohama-based Biomaster Inc. ( www.biomaster.jp... ) for investment in its advanced technologies. Biomaster specializes in research and commercialization of adipose-based (fat-based) stem cell therapies.

Beike Biotechnology Invests in Leading Japanese Regenerative Medicine Co., Biomaster Inc.


***

British, Australian and American news outlets reported last week that groups in Melbourne and London had begun trials to use fat stem cells, derived from fat tissue from a patient's body, to rebuild a woman's breast following surgery. But while some predicted that the treatment would be available within a few years, that estimate ignores many of the safety concerns that accompany this type of research.

Will Stem Cells Help Breast Cancer Survivors Regain Breasts? New Treatments Offer Promise With High Risks

***

India's First Stem Cell Therapy Laboratory Launched

It will introduce fat and skin cell therapies in near future

RMS Regrow, India's leading cell therapy services company, has launched its first cell therapy laboratory... Strategically placed in Lonavala, the lab is easily accessible from Mumbai and Pune.

..." ...We wish to redefine the current treatments available in stem cell therapy and initiate the application of these therapies to hospitals and doctors for the fast and improved recovery for cartilage and bone repair. We will be soon introducing fat and skin cell therapies in near future."

www.expresshealthcare.in...

***

...stem cell therapy has great potential to treat autoimmune diseases,"...

...Currently, stem cell transplant is not allowed in some countries like the United States, some European countries, and South Korea unless it gets a market approval through clinical trials as new pharmaceutical drugs undergo. Chloe had to travel outside of the United States and to Japan or China where RNL established stem cell clinics. More than 2,000 patients with various diseases have been treated with stem cell therapeutics through RNL BIO since 2008.

Chloe visited Dr. Won, a plastic surgeon in Los Angeles to harvest her fat tissue around her belly button in last June. Then the tissue was sent to the laboratory RNL BIO in Germantown, Maryland, where they isolated stem cells, put them in liquid nitrogen shipper and transported them to RNL BIO in Seoul, Korea. It took them a month to expand her stem cells to a sufficient amount enough to treat her hearing loss.

RNL BIO Rescues a College Student from Autoimmune Hearing Loss

Some stem cell therapies harvest the patient's own fat to use, others don't.

How do you mend a broken heart? Many scientists say stem cells are the answer, but they’re not sure how best to use them and make money doing it. ...private investors are hesitant to support stem cell therapies because they don’t have any approved treatments in the U.S. and there are concerns over defending intellectual property. ...Hare said some investors fear this could become like bone marrow transplants, which aren’t patent protected.

...Bioheart recently said it is collaborating on studies in Venezuela where stem cells derived from patients’ fat are injected into their hearts shortly after they suffer heart attacks. The TGI 1200 System – a machine that converts fat from liposuction into stem cells – works in about 60 minutes. ...Bioheart has a competitor on it hands in San Diego-based Cytori (NASDAQ: CYTX). Its Celation System also converts fat from liposuction into stem cells. ...Both Bioheart and Cytori say their devices deserve a unique patent...

...New York-based Angioblast looks to bypass intellectual property issues by developing its stem cell-based cardiac treatment like a drug. It isolated and purified what it considers the ideal donor stem cell and has mass-produced it for injection into damaged hearts. ...Angioblast VP of Operations Michael Schuster said early results from two clinical trials are encouraging. He believes it will prove more consistent than patient stem cells, which could be weak when derived from sick or elderly patients.

Key stem cell research under way

Blockbusters versus Personalized Medicine

Big problem though. We risk having a serious immune reaction if we use a product made with someone else's fat. That reaction could lead to a chronic autoimmune disease worse than what we're trying to treat.

Dr. Neil Sadick, a professor of dermatology at Cornell Weill Medical College in New York, said using a product with someone else's fat carries the risk of an immunological reaction, which is why people who do use products with human fat get the fat from their own body.

Peru gang accused of killing to sell human fat

So people who use therapies or products with human fat should get the fat from their own body - that's "Personalized Medicine," but it's not covered by medical insurance.

Big Pharma and Big Insurance (same parent corporations) are holding out for a one-size-fits-all magic bullet blockbuster treatment - in this case, a magic human fat stem cell that works for everyone (except of course the acceptable collateral damage allowed in the standard risk-benefit ratio).

Why? When personalized medicine is better? Because...

Blockbusters are way cheaper to manufacture, and way, way, way more profitable than personalized medicine.



[edit on 20-11-2009 by soficrow]

reply to post by soficrow


I'm starting to think i should get myself a gun...... for protection!

This world is already a pretty sick place without this going on....

"To make soap, first we render fat." Couldn't help myself. Seriously though, how much can fat be worth on the black market?

Originally posted by Hazystars
Seriously though, how much can fat be worth on the black market?

About $15,000 per litre.

...two of the suspects were arrested carrying bottles of liquid human fat and told police it was worth about $15,000 per litre.

Peru police hold 'fat gang' killers

Originally posted by soficrow

Originally posted by Hazystars
Seriously though, how much can fat be worth on the black market?

About $15,000 per litre.

...two of the suspects were arrested carrying bottles of liquid human fat and told police it was worth about $15,000 per litre.

Peru police hold 'fat gang' killers

Wow, i'm in the wrong business!! Fat is a lucrative market! Thanks for the link.

Originally posted by TruthxIsxInxThexMist

I'm starting to think i should get myself a gun...... for protection!

This world is already a pretty sick place without this going on....

I think you should buy a gun and I wouldn't put it off either.I hear the
price of ammo is going to double soon.

reply to post by infolurker


I would volunteer to have my fat removed as long as it was free.I also
want to survive the procedure,in case someone is "shopping" for fat.

reply to post by mamabeth


Riiight!!!!!! I have some stomach pouch that they can have, for free (again I do require that I keep my life). I can't get rid of it for anything, damn genetics.

I wonder though, what happens to the fat that is removed through lipo? I mean we have people spending thousands of dollars to have it sucked out, can't that be donated? I tried to donate it when I had a surgery, but the surgeon wouldn't go for it, too bad I didn't know there was such a market perhaps I could've bargained better.

Originally posted by infolurker
Yeah, Kind of dumb to kill people for fat when they can get all the human fat they want for free in the U.S.

People would line up to get "fat" sucked out and it sure as hell is one of the dumbest reasons I have ever heard to "kill" for.

I agree. Thought about why the buyers don't make deals with liposuction clinics...

A lot of obesity is caused by viral infection - last time I looked at it, there were about 7 or 9 different viruses causing obesity, loose in the modern world.

So - if someone needs liposuction, chances are good they're infected - and their fat cells and tissue will be contaminated. Not good if you're looking for a stem cell blockbuster.

...Maybe the reason buyers want fat cells from people in isolated jungles is because they're more likely to be disease-free - or at least free of the infections that cause obesity.

....Watcha think?

Originally posted by Hazystars
"To make soap, first we render fat."

Couldn't help myself.

Holy Fight Club, Batman, that's the first thing I thought of, too!

Originally posted by jerico65

Originally posted by Hazystars
"To make soap, first we render fat."

Couldn't help myself.

Holy Fight Club, Batman, that's the first thing I thought of, too!

LoL! Great minds...

Originally posted by mamabeth

Originally posted by TruthxIsxInxThexMist

I'm starting to think i should get myself a gun...... for protection!

This world is already a pretty sick place without this going on....

I think you should buy a gun and I wouldn't put it off either.I hear the
price of ammo is going to double soon.

Only problem is i live in the UK!!

reply to post by TruthxIsxInxThexMist


You do have a problem,I've heard that UK citizens can't own firearms.

Wow. I wonder how much my fat is worth? I might be sitting on a gold mine.

Second line.