A $20 million fraud scheme has come to light involving mountain guides who allegedly poisoned climbers attempting to summit Mount Everest in order to justify costly emergency evacuations and claim payouts from insurance companies, Nepali authorities have revealed.

Police in Nepal have charged 32 individuals with organized crime and fraud in connection with the operation, according to the Kathmandu Post. Those implicated include trekking company owners, helicopter operators, and hospital officials.

Investigators found that guides working with expedition companies deliberately made climbers ill by adding baking soda to their food, triggering gastrointestinal symptoms that mimicked altitude sickness or food poisoning. Once the climbers fell sick, they were pressured into agreeing to expensive emergency helicopter evacuations. Members of the network then allegedly used falsified medical and flight documents to bill international insurance providers.

The illicit profits were reportedly shared among guides, helicopter companies, travel agencies, and hospitals that provided sham treatments. The investigation began in January following the arrest of six executives from three major mountain rescue firms.

Authorities allege that one company staged 171 out of the 1,248 rescues it reported, generating more than $10 million. A second company is accused of fabricating 75 out of 471 rescues, collecting around $8 million, while a third allegedly filed 71 fraudulent claims worth over $1 million.

This is not the first time Nepal’s tourism industry—an economic pillar supporting over one million jobs directly and indirectly—has been hit by such a scandal. In recent years, several major international insurers have stopped covering climbers in Nepal due to a surge in fraudulent claims.