Authorities in central China have levied fines totaling nearly 178 million yuan ($25 million) and punished 18 people involved in a major illegal surrogacy case uncovered in Changsha, Hunan province, State broadcaster CCTV reported on Sunday.

The penalties followed a multidepartment investigation launched in May after the Changsha county health bureau received a tip about suspected illegal surrogacy activities in a rented residential property.

Health, police, law enforcement and market regulation officials conducted a joint inspection that led to the discovery of two unlicensed surrogacy agencies — one in Changsha's Kaifu district and another in Changsha county. Both operations were shut down.

On Sunday, the Kaifu district government announced that four administrative cases had been filed in connection with the illegal surrogacy network. Five people were penalized, including two organizers who were fined 25.18 million yuan and forced to turn over illicit gains totaling 1.68 million yuan. Related medical equipment and medicines were also seized.

A doctor involved received a warning, had illegal earnings of 117,500 yuan seized, was fined 30,000 yuan and was suspended from medical practice for one year.Authorities also confiscated 60,000 yuan from a nurse and 10,000 yuan from a lab technician.

Earlier, the Changsha county administrative law enforcement bureau had launched nine cases against 13 individuals. Four organizers were fined 132.8 million yuan and had illicit revenue of 8.85 million yuan confiscated. Four unlicensed practitioners were fined a combined 19.79 million yuan, with illegal income of 2.8 million yuan seized. One licensed doctor received a warning, had 157,500 yuan confiscated, was fined 30,000 yuan and was suspended from medical practice for one year. Four support staff members also had illicit earnings totaling 598,200 yuan confiscated.

In May, Elephant News, affiliated with the Henan Broadcasting System, received tips indicating that illegal surrogacy facilities, including surgery and laboratory rooms, were operating in Changsha county and Kaifu district. After several days of investigation, the outlet published an undercover report on May 12 exposing two such organizations.

One facility in a house in Changsha county was equipped with a laboratory, operating room and patient wards. A large number of medical devices and medications related to embryo transfer and egg retrieval were found on site. Reporters also observed unlicensed vehicles transporting more than 10 women into the facility in a single day.

Inside one of the wards, reporters discovered a deaf-mute woman participating in the surrogacy program.Using sign language, she said the agency had offered her 280,000 yuan to undergo embryo transfer surgery.

When Elephant News reporters and law enforcement officers entered another illegal surrogacy site in Kaifu district, they found a woman under anesthesia left alone on the operating table. Several staff members attempted to flee before police arrested them. The woman was taken to a hospital.

By the evening of May 13, authorities said, 18 people connected to the two agencies had been detained.