Illegal surrogacy ring busted at 2 villas in Hangzhou
One of the villas suspected of operating illegal surrogacy services in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province.
Authorities in Hangzhou, neighboring Zhejiang Province, have found that one of the allegedly illegal surrogacy service providers operating at two villas has registered its legal representative as an 80-year-old woman to avoid punishment.
The octogenarian, identified by Hangzhou authorities as surnamed Cao, is the mother of the owner of the company, Yangtse Evening Post reported on Thursday.
Authorities found it out after raiding two villas early this month in response to a report by whistleblower Shangguan Zhengyi, who is famed for exposing human trafficking cases across China.
Several illegal surrogacy service providers operated in the two villas, they reportedly said.
The case came to light on April 7 when Shangguan reported an underground operation conducting egg retrievals, embryo transfers, and suspected trade of birth certificates at the villas in the Zhejiang capital.
Local health authorities immediately sealed the premises after discovering medical equipment for assisted reproductive procedures.
On Thursday, the Gongshu District Health Department informed Shangguan that they had tracked down the real operator behind the agency, as well as the doctors performing illegal surgeries. However, no anesthetic drugs were found on site, while the prescription drugs are still being traced.
Investigators discovered that the villas functioned as makeshift operating rooms, shared by multiple agencies on a rotating "dispatch" basis.
The operating room in one of the villas.
Medical supplies at the scene bore labels from Hangzhou Yunzhixing Medical Technology Co Ltd, a company registered in March 2024, with Cao as its legal representative.
Shangguan told reporters that Hangzhou officials confirmed that the surrogacy agency was Hangzhou Yunzhixing.
"The lab was chaotic with different teams coming and going," Shangguan quoted officials as saying, noting that the painstaking evidence collection has slowed progress in the case.
Instruments and equipment in the villa.
Two local clients were identified during the investigation. One woman described undergoing an extremely painful egg retrieval without anesthesia, only relying on painkillers taken beforehand. She admitted choosing the clinic due to its lower costs compared to other illegal providers.
The prosecution faces hurdles as current evidence doesn't clearly support charges for illegal medical practice, unlicensed business operations or document forgery. "These groups meticulously divide labor and use elderly proxies to evade responsibility," Shangguan pointed out.
A staffer of the Hangzhou Health Commission said the investigation is still ongoing and further details will be released to the public.
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