Custom officials in South Korea have been cracking down on inspections due to the rise in the smuggling of Chinese-made capsules into the country. The capsules are reportedly filled with powdered human baby flesh.

Since last August, customs have discovered 35 smuggling attempts from China, reports the Associated Press. The 35 attempts involved about 17,450 harmful human-flesh capsules that were disguised as stamina-boosters.

The Korean customs service said in a statement Monday that the capsules have been found in tourist luggage and international mail. The disguised performance enhancement capsules are said to contain super bacteria and are considered hazardous to human health.

Human baby-flesh pills are in demand for many reasons, some who believe that it is a tonic for disease. The Wall Street Journal reports that in China it is common to consume human placentas to revive blood supply and circulation. Another reported theory for the use of these pills is that they enhance sexual performance.

According to the Daily Mail, how the infants died before they ended up in the capsules is unknown. A documentary has claimed that pharmaceutical companies in China are working with abortion clinics. Another suggestion is that the infants come from parents who have too many children and abandon them in dying rooms.

A Google translation of a 2011 SBS documentary on the matter states that the dead babies were stored in a normal family's refrigerator for stealth. The dead baby was then put in a medical drying microwave. The next step was grinding up the dry baby and inserting the powder into the pill capsules.

Customs has stated that they have narrowed down the origins of the pills to the cities of Yanji, Jilin, Quingdao and Tianjin.

Those who have been found in possession of the pills have denied knowing the ingredients.