Polish police recover US blood plasma stolen during transport to Austria
By APThursday, February 11, 2010
Polish police recover stolen US blood plasma
WARSAW, Poland — Polish police recovered 11 tons of human blood plasma that had been stolen from a U.S. company and was on its way to Austria, officials said Thursday.
The truck with a freezer unit carrying the plasma, worth more than euro1 million ($1.4 million), was stolen while the driver made a rest stop in Germany, Polish police spokesman Artur Chorazy said. It was taken across the border into Poland, where it was seized on Wednesday.
Police footage showed frozen salmon-colored plasma packed in boxes originating from Harrisonburg, Virginia, where BioLife Plasma Services, a collection facility owned by Baxter International Inc., has operations.
BioLife spokeswoman Laura Jacobs said the plasma had come from other facilities as well, but did not elaborate.
Jacobs said the company was working with local authorities to determine how the theft occurred. “Importantly, the plasma has been recovered and is currently in Baxter’s Vienna facility,” she said.
Polish police have made no arrests so far, and believe thieves stole it in hopes of selling it elsewhere in Eastern Europe, Chorazy said.
Plasma is used to treat a wide variety of medical disorders.
