€ 500,000 was the profit of the organized crime group for illegal adoptions and trafficking in eggs in Greece, police officials said in a statement quoted by Kathimerini newspaper. According to authorities, the group that was busted yesterday is the largest in Europe and the best organized.

So far, 12 people have already been arrested on suspicion of participating in the scheme, which has been operating for 3 years. A total of 66 people were involved in the case, including a lawyer and a doctor. Both were detained and are believed to have played a leading role in the gang.

The defendants also include two staff members of a private assisted reproduction clinic, as well as two women who are already serving sentences on similar charges.

The months-long investigation found members of the group were hiring women for surrogate mothers and egg donors. So far, 22 illegal adoptions and 24 cases of women who have been paid to donate their eggs have been identified. The gang hired young women from Bulgaria who, according to the Greek police, had financial problems.

The cost of adoption was between 25,000 and 28,000 euros. The women were paid by the adoptive parents, mostly childless Greek couples.

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