Istanbul Police Department Prevents Organ Trafficking Scheme

The Istanbul Police Department’s Smuggling of Migrants and Border Gates Branch continues its efforts to prevent organ trafficking and capture suspicious individuals.

During their investigations, the teams uncovered that a 58-year-old woman named Z.A. living in France, who was waiting for a kidney transplant, had resorted to different ways for the surgery after receiving two negative responses from the Organ Transplantation Ethics Committee, following her introduction of the donor D.K. as a “close friend.”

The intermediary, T.E, who was contacted by Z.A’s husband, A.A, to find a hospital for organ transplantation, was identified by the police teams.

REVEALED IN TESTS

The teams found out that T.E had contacted some hospitals in Georgia and Serbia besides Turkey but eventually decided on Istanbul, where Z.A. and D.K., who had previously applied as close friends, this time applied as mother and daughter for the surgery.

At the hospital, the tests conducted before the surgery, where D.K. and Z.A., who had not even entered the hospital with the donor, were unveiled by the hospital authorities.

DETAIL OF 2 MILLION LIRAS

The teams revealed that D.K always arrived at the hospital wearing a hat and a mask before the surgery day, and continued their physical surveillance until the day of the operation to catch them in the act.

Attempting to make organ trade under the guise of “mother-daughter” for approximately 2 million liras, the buyer Z.A. and her husband A.A, donor D.K., and intermediary T.E, who entered the hospital together for the first time the day before the transplant, were apprehended by the police.

After the procedures at the police station, Z.A, A.A, and D.K were released under judicial control measures, while T.E was sentenced to house arrest.