A PROBE has been launched amid claims shipping containers sent to Sri Lanka from the UK contained body parts disguised as recyclable materials.
Customs officials at the port of Colombo now plan to send back more than 100 of the metal crates after making the gruesome find.
The sickening discovery was made when a “strong smell” started emanating from 111 containers which have been arriving at the docks over the past two years.
Inside the crates, customs officials found the “extremely hazardous” materials mixed in with mattresses, plastics and clinical waste, reports the Telegraph.
Defra has confirmed it is probing claims human organs and body parts were found, but said it has not so far been approached by the Sri Lankan authorities.
“We are committed to tackling illegal waste exports, which is why individuals found to be exporting incorrectly described waste can face a two year jail term or an unlimited fine,” a spokeswoman said.
“We are yet to receive a formal request from the Sri Lankan authorities, but Defra has contacted them directly to find out more information.”
MOUNTAINS OF WASTE
However, one unnamed Sri Lankan official reportedly described the situation as “a well-organised racket that has been going on since 2017.”
A spokesman for Sri Lanka’s Central Environment Authority said: “The waste material brought to the country under the guise of mattresses from the UK is extremely hazardous.”
British waste disposal experts said disguising human remains as recyclable metals would be highly lucrative as it is illegal to export “anatomical waste” like human organs or body parts.
If the reports are confirmed, it is feared the human remains may have originated from NHS hospitals which are struggling to dispose of anatomical waste. Read More
