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Peru Gang Accused of Killing to Harvest Fat

Cosmetics firms said to pay $60K/gallon; experts skeptical

By Will McCahill,  Newser Staff

Posted Nov 19, 2009 10:00 PM CST

(Newser) – Peruvian police today arrested four men accused of killing dozens of people and selling their fat to cosmetics companies in Europe. At a news conference that featured several bottles of fat, which police say the gang sold for $60,000 per gallon, authorities didn’t produce any evidence of sales, and experts tell the AP they doubt much of a market exists.

A Peruvian police officer displays two bottles containing human fat today in Lima.
A Peruvian police officer displays two bottles containing human fat today in Lima.   (AP Photo)
A prized target.
A prized target.   (Wikimedia Commons)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 13 comments
Zero
Nov 22, 2009 6:21 AM CST
mmmm kissing celebrities with dead people lips .. mmmmm
shopgirl1623
Nov 22, 2009 5:49 AM CST
Off subject, funny though, I learned they use human fat for cosmetics from the movie 'Fight Club'. -- On subject. Sick story, but truth tends to be stranger than fiction. And I'll bet there is some shred of truth to this story... What probably happened, is a friend of theirs died... the body wouldn't fit into the coffin and so they lobbed off some of that fat filled torso flesh... and they saw a news piece or read an article about how human fat is used in cosmetics, and thought... hey... here's a way to make a buck. Pay for the guys funeral, and they had a big wake and .... They got so much money for their friend's extra fat that the evil one in the group devised a plan to get more fat so they could make more money... and the gang went on a hunt for fat Peruvians... Not like they started out to do such a cruel act, but the lure of the money drew them in... money is the corrupting factor in a lot of crimes.... If poachers kill endangered tigers, bears, and elephants for their body parts, who's to say a poacher wouldn't stop at the human animal..... Just trowing out possibilities.
Jes
Nov 21, 2009 12:29 PM CST
Even a morbidly obese person couldn't contribute more than maybe a gallon and a half of fat. How many did they kill?

 
crime • Peru • gang violence • cosmetics • strange stuff • fat harvesting

 
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