Sitting on a fortune

Ever wondered what happens to the fat liposuctioned out of the less than svelte?

Four people have been arrested in Peru on suspicion of killing some 60 people to sell their fat and other human tissue to Italian co-conspirators for cosmetic use in Europe, authorities say.

Police began arrests after discovering early this month a container with human fat that was being shipped to Lima from the Andean city of Huanuco, some 400 kilometres north-east of Lima.

Signs of "an international network trafficking human fat" first surfaced about two months ago, according to General Felix Burga, head of the police criminal division.

Peruvian press cited him as saying the fat can be sold for $US15,000 ($16,325) per gallon in European countries.

That's almost US$4,000 a litre. Hey, I must have at least a couple of litres of lard to spare already; I could have a grand old time eating tasty fattening food and drinking lots of beer and when nicely rotund have the excess sucked out and then sell it. And it would be pretty cool knowing that my arse fat was used to manufacture the pricey cosmetics applied to the faces of rich European women. Jeez, this plan has no downside.

Update: Possible problem: Americans are already sitting on enough fat to supply the galaxy's needs for the next 1,000 years; if they start selling the price is going to collapse. Hmm, better start eating now.