Security forces in Kayes, western Mali, have arrested 14 individuals over the past six weeks across two distinct investigations into the illegal collection and commercial sale of human blood.
The most recent law enforcement operation occurred on September 28 in the Bencounda district, where police acted on an anonymous tip to apprehend a 38-year-old suspect caught actively collecting blood inside a private residence. Subsequent raids led to the arrest of seven additional accomplices aged 17 to 37, along with the seizure of professional blood collection equipment and storage bags. All eight suspects were formally remanded to judicial authorities on October 1 as investigators work to trace the supply chain and determine final destination points for the illicit shipments.
The targeted crackdown follows an earlier police operation on August 21 by the Kayes Railway Police Station, which resulted in the arrest and judicial referral of six individuals after officers intercepted a blood bag of questionable origin destined for a dialysis patient. Preliminary investigative findings revealed that illicit operators were purchasing blood from individual donors for approximately 16,000 CFA francs before reselling bags for up to 55,000 CFA francs. The National Blood Transfusion Centre (CNTS) reiterated that human blood is legally non-commercial and distributed free of charge exclusively through authorized healthcare facilities, hospitals, and regulated blood banks. Against the backdrop of recent administrative audits highlighting structural vulnerabilities in national blood management between 2022 and 2025, health authorities emphasized that strict state regulation remains essential to maintain cold chain protocols, guarantee product traceability, and protect vulnerable maternal and pediatric patients requiring life-saving transfusions.
MD/te/Sf/lb/abj/APA