An illegal human organ trading case, the largest of this kind in China, was prosecuted in Beijing on Aug 20, 2014.

Fifteen defendants were put on trial for illegally trafficking 51 kidneys, earning an illegal income up to 10.34 million yuan ($1.68 million) in total.

Zheng Wei, the organizer, received a 12-year jail term and the rest, including middlemen and medical workers, were given sentence ranging from three and a half years to nine years, said a Beijing intermediate people's court in a statement of verdict.

The criminal gang started the operation in 2010. They sought donors through QQ, an instant messaging platform, with bids of 20,000 to 25,000 yuan for a kidney. The qualified donors would accept a live kidney removal operation for illegal transplantation in a rental apartment with poor sanitary conditions, where no life-saving equipment was provided. A targeted buyer would be charged 180,000 to 210,000 yuan for a kidney.

A government-recognized first class hospital in Beijing was also involved in the case.

According to Chinese law, human organ trading is illegal. Recent years saw a rise of organ trading. On July 26, 2014, 12 suspects were convicted of illegally trading human organs in East China's Jiangxi province, with 23 kidneys illegally transplanted.

In May 2007, "Regulations on Human Organ Transplantation" was issued to standardize organ donation.