A network of individuals from Jordan and Syria discovered to be involved in illegal organ trafficking in Istanbul were apprehended in a law enforcement operation on Sept. 30, Turkish police said on Tuesday. Six individuals who came to sell their organs or receive transplants were imprisoned, while five members of the network were apprehended during the operation.
While closely scrutinizing the hospital's records, it was discovered that a significant number of foreign nationals received organ transplants with forged documentation. Several people who identified themselves as "husband-wife" or "brother-sister" turned out to be false witnesses and denied giving the people who were apprehended such proof of kinship.
Three groups were prepared for transplants, according to the results of the police investigations. The Palestinian kidney recipient and donor, who identified themselves as "husband and wife," were found to be unmarried in the initial investigation conducted by the police teams. The suspicious individuals were apprehended and taken into custody. The network's leader Hassan B., a Jordanian native, was found to have orchestrated fictitious transfer transactions for $60,000 (TL 1.11 million).
Police also discovered that a Jordanian had agreed to donate his kidney for $12,000 to another Jordanian and had been waiting for a suitable recipient at a location in Esenyurt for four days.
Likewise, on Sept. 30, before scheduled surgeries, the network manager, a Syrian national, as well as organ donors and recipients were taken into police custody.
Meanwhile, it was discovered that the illegal organ ring's manager and leader, both Jordanians, named Hassan Abu Z. and Hassan B., were hiding out in Sakarya's Sapanca neighborhood and were preparing to flee the country via Antalya. In the Isparta district of Keçiborlu, other suspects were also apprehended during the operation planned in response to the technical and physical follow-up.
All of the individuals participating in the exchange of organs as well as the suspects who were apprehended were brought to the police station for interrogation. One of the 11 suspects brought to court had judicial control provisions applied to him, but 10 individuals, including the organization's leader and administrators, were remanded into custody.
Organ trafficking is not uncommon in Türkiye, particularly between foreign recipients and gangs based abroad. The country's advanced health care sector draws more and more health tourists to Türkiye, but it also attracts organ traffickers from other countries.
