Australia probes possible organ trafficking involving a Filipina

CANBERRA, Australia—A woman from the Philippines was flown to Australia and police are investigating Canberra’s first case of suspected organ trafficking.

Australian Federal Police said in a statement Thursday that a search warrant has been executed at a home in New South Wales state. No one has been arrested but the investigation is continuing.

The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper reports that an elderly Sydney woman with kidney disease is suspected of flying in a younger woman from the Philippines with the intention of transplanting her kidney.

The newspaper reports the younger woman had not fully consented to the plan, which was discovered during routine hospital screening interviews before the transplant was to have taken place.

Australia has one of the lowest organ donation rates among wealthy countries. AP