Illegal baby sale, abortion ring dismantled in Colombia

Colombian authorities have dismantled a trafficking ring involving illegal abortions and stolen babies, arresting five suspects, police said Thursday. A doctor and two nurses were among those called before authorities in the northern city of Cucuta, on the border with Venezuela. "They are suspected of belonging to a criminal network that trafficked newborn babies and performed illegal abortions," police said in a statement. An investigation launched in 2013 quickly focused on a doctor's office and a clinic in Cucuta. A doctor there performed abortions for 450,000 to 600,000 pesos (about $180 to $240) per operation, only for women who had been pregnant for less than four months, according to police. If the pregnancy was further along, the women were advised to give birth and sell their babies at a cost of about five million pesos ($2,000) per child to couples unable to conceive. The trafficking network would falsify birth certificates, police said, noting that buyers would also face charges. Abortion has been legal in Colombia since 2006 but only in cases of rape, a risk to the life or health of the mother, or severe fetal impairment.