Couple charged with trafficking Peruvian babies

A German man and his Peruvian wife have been charged with trafficking Peruvian babies to adoptive parents in Europe through an internet site, police said yesterday.

Arndt Hubert Kupper, 36, and Eva Noruzka la Torre, 22, were arrested on Wednesday. They allegedly offered to sell the infants for $16,870 (€14,200) each.

A lead investigator in the case said police obtained evidence of fraudulent birth certificates allegedly used in the trafficking of multiple babies, but authorities were still trying to determine how many children may have been involved. Police have identified one Peruvian newborn, who was recovered in Ecuador.

Kupper and la Torre offered adoptions in German, English and Spanish on a site called Adoption Shilfe Peru, which has been in operation since December 2004, authorities said.