Fourteen people have been arrested in Kayes, western Mali, in two separate cases involving the alleged illegal collection and sale of human blood.
In the latest case, police arrested eight suspects after raiding a house in Bencounda on September 28. Officers reportedly found a 38-year-old man collecting blood and seized blood bags and collection equipment.
The suspects appeared before a judge on October 1, while investigators work to determine where the blood was intended to go and whether others were involved.
The arrests follow a separate case in August, when six people were detained after police discovered a blood bag allegedly intended for a dialysis patient. Initial reports said some blood bags were being sold for up to 55,000 CFA francs.
Mali’s National Blood Transfusion Centre says blood is provided free of charge and can only be distributed through authorised health facilities. The two cases are being investigated separately.
