**Courtroom Scene: Diagram of the Child Trafficking Process. Morning Post Graphics by Zhu Peipei**
In January this year, our newspaper exclusively reported on the shocking case of "over 20 infants being trafficked," revealing in detail the dark profit chain behind child trafficking, drawing national attention.
At 9:00 AM on August 31, the nationwide major child trafficking case was officially heard at the Bengbu Railway Transport Court, with 17 suspects appearing in court for trial.
Among the 17 individuals were elderly people with white hair and robust middle-aged men. Most of them came from places such as Honghe in Yunnan Province, Donghai County in Jiangsu Province, and Linyi in Shandong Province. They were involved in trafficking children a total of 21 times, involving 22 children—9 boys and 13 girls.
**Courtroom Scene**
**Prosecution Materials Filled a Large Suitcase**
Around 8:30 AM on August 31, a courtroom at the Bengbu Railway Transport Court that could accommodate about 100 people was already filled with spectators. Among them were family members of the suspects, journalists from various media outlets, and court staff.
On the bench, the court had specially arranged 34 temporary seats for the 17 suspects and police officers.
At around 8:50 AM, prosecutor Cao Jie arrived at the courtroom pulling a large suitcase. Inside it were not clothes or travel items but various documents needed for the trial.
When the suitcase was opened, reporters saw several bound volumes of prosecution files filling it completely.
**The Court Hired a Professional Translator**
At 9:00 AM, the judge announced the start of the trial. Subsequently, 17 suspects including Li Wangshao, Cui Yonghua, Li Milu, Luo Xiufen, and Li Yanqing were brought into the courtroom and lined up according to the number of children they trafficked. Li Wangshao, who trafficked as many as 15 children, sat on the far left.
Besides the unusually high number of suspects appearing in court simultaneously, another rare situation occurred that day: six defense lawyers appeared in court at the same time. Additionally, since five of the suspects were Yi ethnic group members and six were Hani ethnic group members, some of whom did not speak Mandarin, the court specially hired a translator to facilitate communication between both sides.
**They Believed They Were Doing Good Deeds**
During the trial that day, more than one person claimed that their actions of trafficking infants were good deeds, stating that they only took a small amount of "hardship fees."
One such individual was Wang Yufang, who participated in trafficking four children. Regarding her involvement in infant trafficking, she said, "We didn't steal them or snatch them; we were doing good deeds."
"I have no education. I just wanted to help families without children find a child, do some good deeds, and then get a little benefit. It wasn't until now that I realized this is child trafficking," she admitted.
Suspect Li Taiqin also held a similar view. She explained that she usually found overpopulated families in Yunnan or families wanting to give their children better environments. These families would pay a certain "child-rearing fee" to the parents, after which the children would be sold through intermediaries.
**Sister and Lover Teams in Child Trafficking**
In this major child trafficking case, there was another point worth noting: among the 17 individuals, some had close relationships.
For instance, Li Meifen and Li Yanqing were sisters, while Su Xiaocheng and Wang Yufang were lovers. They had strong cooperative relationships.
Taking Su Xiaocheng and Wang Yufang as an example, Wang Yufang frequently traveled between various locations in a white Changhe minivan driven by Su Xiaocheng during her participation in child trafficking.
**Related Case**
In February or March of 2009, Li Milu and Li Yanqing bought a baby girl in Yuanyang County, Yunnan Province. After Li Yanqing contacted Cui Yonghua, the baby girl was handed over to Wang Xiaoying, who transported her by train to Nanjing City. In Nanjing, Cui Yonghua took Wang Xiaoying to Li Wangshao's residence in Donghai County, where the baby girl was sold to Li Wangshao for 12,000 yuan. After receiving the money, Wang Xiaoying returned to Yuanyang County. Later, Li Wangshao contacted Wang Yufang via phone. Wang Yufang then traveled to Li Wangshao's residence in Donghai County in a white Changhe minivan driven by Su Xiaocheng, purchasing the baby girl for 18,000 yuan before returning to her home in Linyi. On April 6 of the same year, the defendant sold the baby girl for 23,000 yuan to Liu Houchong and Sun Yunxiang through Liu Chang's introduction.
**Case Summary**
A total of 22 children were trafficked, with 9 still missing.
According to the public security department, from February 2006 to June 2009, defendants Li Milu, Luo Xiufen, Li Yanqing, Li Meiying, Wu Meifen, Yang Zhizhong, and Li Taici, with the aim of profiting, either individually or in collusion, illegally purchased babies in regions such as Yuanyang County and Yun County in Honghe Prefecture, Yunnan Province. They then transported the babies either themselves or through defendants Kong Zhiling, Wang Xiaoying, and Li Meifen to places like Nanjing City and Donghai County in Jiangsu Province, Beijing, and Shandong Province, selling them either themselves or through defendants Cui Yonghua and others to defendants Li Wangshao and He Xiufen.
Subsequently, defendants Li Wangshao and He Xiufen either individually or in collaboration with defendants Chu Hongren and Ma Xuefa, sold the babies to defendants Wang Yufang and Su Xiaocheng.
The 17 individuals were involved in 21 child trafficking cases, trafficking a total of 22 children, including 9 boys and 13 girls. Among them, Li Wangshao was involved in 15 cases, trafficking 15 children; Cui Yonghua was involved in 6 cases, trafficking 7 children; Li Milu was involved in 5 cases, trafficking 5 children; and Luo Xiufen was involved in 5 cases, trafficking 5 children.
Despite the efforts of the police, multiple trafficked children have been rescued, but 9 children remain missing to this day.
**Police Arrested the "Contact Person" in Nanjing**
This massive series of child trafficking cases was ultimately cracked thanks to breakthroughs made through suspect Wang Xiaoying.
In May 2009, Li Milu, Luo Xiufen, and Li Meiying purchased a baby girl in Yuanyang County, Yunnan Province. Defendant Wang Xiaoying contacted Cui Yonghua, agreeing to deliver the baby girl to Nanjing and hand her over to him. Cui Yonghua immediately contacted Li Wangshao, agreeing to sell the baby girl at the Central Gate Station in Nanjing.
At around 11:00 AM on May 21, Wang Xiaoying carried the baby girl on a train from Kunming to Nanjing. On the 23rd of the same month, railway police discovered suspicious behavior from Wang Xiaoying during routine checks and proceeded to interrogate her.
Upon investigation, Wang Xiaoying truthfully confessed to her crime of child trafficking and was subsequently arrested by the railway police. After the train arrived at the Nanjing Railway Station, with Wang Xiaoying's assistance, investigators arrested Cui Yonghua at the station exit as he came to pick up the baby.
Following the confessions of Wang Xiaoying and Cui Yonghua, on June 6, 2009, defendant Li Wangshao was arrested at his home. In August of the same year, defendants Li Yanqing, Luo Xiufen, Li Meifen, Li Milu, Wang Yufen, and Kong Zhiling were arrested at their respective homes. Over the next two months, suspects Ma Xuefa, Su Xiaocheng, Li Taici, He Xiufen, and Yang Zhizhong were successively arrested.
**News Link**
**High Profits — The Catalyst for the Black Market Chain**
"In the eyes of human traffickers, every transaction is an opportunity to make money, but this is merely the beginning of the tragic fate for trafficked infants," said a police officer who participated in investigating the child trafficking case. "Behind every trafficked infant lies a massive profit chain and a group of people driven by greed—they only care about money."
It is understood that China imposes very severe penalties for child trafficking crimes, with particularly serious cases potentially facing the death penalty. However, such crimes continue despite repeated bans, driven by the lucrative profits behind them.
Ge Weidong, deputy director of the Wuhu Railway Police Station under the Hefei Railway Public Security Bureau, participated in the investigation of the "May 23" mega child trafficking case and spent several months investigating in Yunnan. He told reporters, "The profit chain behind these infants is tightly connected, with prices increasing several-fold at each stage."
Generally, the "upstream" suppliers deceive infants locally, providing their parents with some nutritional supplements or paying them a few hundred to a thousand yuan. When the infants are handed over to the "midstream" operators, the "upstream" suppliers can receive several thousand to ten thousand yuan. "Cui Yonghua buys a baby from the 'upstream' supplier for several thousand to ten thousand yuan for a girl, and even more for a boy."
People responsible for transporting infants between the "upstream" and "midstream" can earn around a thousand yuan per trip as a hardship fee. When the "midstream" operator resells the infant, the price increases further. "These prices are set by themselves. For instance, Cui Yonghua sells each child to the 'downstream' operator or directly to adoptive families for several tens of thousands of yuan, with each transaction yielding a profit of over ten thousand yuan."
(Intern reporter Xie Xunzhao, written and photographed)