Child-Trafficking Ring Preys on Young Mexican Women

Mexican authorities have uncovered an elaborate illegal international adoption scam that tricked destitute young Mexican mothers into giving up their babies.

Women in the state of Jalisco were told their children would be photographed for an anti-abortion ad campaign. The mothers received about $750 each in exchange for parting with their children for several weeks. Couples from Ireland who had travelled to Mexico were told they could adopt the children at a cost of up to $14,000.

15 Irish citizens have been questioned in the case. All have been released. The Irish couples say they thought they were involved in a legal process. They were permitted to meet the children in a center in Mexico, and cared for them for several weeks.

“These Irish couples had very personal relationships with these newborn babies,” Mexico-based reporter Franc Contreras tells host Lisa Mullins. “They thought, ‘This is going to be our new child.’”

Contreras says investigators cracked the case by tracking down money transfers from Ireland to Mexico. Authorities have arrested nine people in the scam. They’ve taken custody of 11 children, four of whom reportedly showed signs of sexual abuse.

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Lisa Mullins: Authorities in Mexico say they’ve broken up an illegal international adoption scam. It involved destitute young Mexican young women. The women were mothers. They were told that their babies had been selected for an ad campaign, a photo shoot. Instead, the children were handed over to couples from Ireland, who had traveled to Mexico hoping to adopt. The Irish citizens say they thought they were involved in a legal process. Prosecutors say that so far they’ve taken custody of 11 babies involved in the scam. Reporter Franc Contreras is following this story in Mexico City. How did this scam work, first from the point of view of these women, these mothers, who had their babies at what point taken away from them?

Franc Contreras: Lisa, these are very young women in the western part of Mexico, a very conservative part of the country. And one of them was 18 years old. She had just had her baby and she was running into all sorts of money problems, and so she was approached by a woman who said that she would love to have photographs of this newborn baby, and to be able to use those photographs in an anti-abortion campaign. As I said, this is a very Catholic conservative part of the country. And this young mother, she was happy to help out with this anti-abortion campaign lending her child to be a model, as she thought it was going to happen, for these photographs; and also to receive the amount of around 10,000 pesos, which was a little over $750.

Mullins: So they turned over their children for this photo shoot and they were told that they would get their children back in two weeks. Is that correct?

Contreras: Yes, the children were taken from the homes. They were taken to a center in a place near Guadalajara, Mexico, Zapopan, Jalisco state, and there the children were given brand new clothing, toys, and the things that their mothers really couldn’t give them back home. And so it looked like the children were being treated very well.

Mullins: And by the way, how old were these children?

Contreras: The children in many cases were newborns. They were sometimes just weeks old, months old, in fact. So they were taken to this center. They were also receiving visits from these Irish families. And these Irish couples had very personal relationships with these newborn babies. They thought this is going to be our new child.

Mullins: So what interrupted the plan, what happened?

Contreras: Well, police got word this scam was unfolding and they were able to track down two of the women who were the ones that were involved directly with convincing these young mothers that they should participate in this so-called campaign for anti-abortion, which was actually a coverup for this illegal adoption ring. So police investigators, little by little they were able to gather enough information leading to the arrest of two women and at least seven others, a total of nine people we’re told now are in police detention.

Mullins: How did the investigators crack the case?

Contreras: Investigators were able to track down, for example, money transfers taking place from Ireland to bank accounts here in Mexico, and in this way they were able to show that there was actual falsification, a scam taking place in this way.

Mullins: How much money had the Irish citizens turned over?

Contreras: Police say that the Irish citizens were charged each about $6,000 for a baby, and if they were able to get final custody that amount was somewhere around $13,500 up to $14,000. It’s unclear whether or not any of those Irish couple actually paid that maximum amount, $14,000, but some of them, yes, they did pay thousands of dollars in transfers to bank accounts here in Mexico so they were able to have access to these children.

Mullins: Now, some of the babies though in the meantime were given back to their mothers after the two week period, and they were shown the posters where their babies’ photographs had appeared, these anti-abortion posters, so what was the plan on the part of the alleged scammers?

Contreras: For those people who are accused of running this illegal scam, Lisa, it’s really unclear whether or not they were actually ever planning to deliver young Mexican babies to these Irish couples. They were making that promise, but they were sort of playing both ends of the stick if you will. They were at the very same time promising the mothers that they were gonna get their children back, and so it’s unclear if they were ever planning to actually deliver these children in adoption.

Mullins: Reporter Franc Contreras in Mexico City. Thank you.

Contreras: Thank you, Lisa.

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