The law enforcement agencies of Uzbekistan have detained a group of 12 people engaged in the trade of human organs and tissues. Under the guise of kinship, the group sent donors to a private clinic abroad for illegal organ transplantation.
According to gazeta.uz, they organized the transplantation of organs for 32 patients over the past two years.
Employees of the State Security Service and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Uzbekistan suppressed the activities of an organized criminal group suspected of trafficking in human organs and tissues. This was reported by the press services of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the State Security Service.
The group consisted of 12 people living in Tashkent, as well as in the Tashkent, Fergana, Bukhara and Kashkadarya regions. Through social networks, they found patients suffering from kidney and liver diseases and persuaded healthy citizens to sell their organs for a large reward.
According to the investigation, with the help of connections abroad, the suspects forged identity documents and presented the donors as relatives of the patients. Organ transplant operations were performed in one of the private clinics of a neighboring country.
According to the investigation, from 2023 to 2025, the group managed to organize the transplantation of kidneys and liver tissues for 32 patients. Part of the funds received from them was used to pay for the clinics and payments to the donors, and the rest was divided among the participants.
In addition, after the operations, for those patients who did not show improvement, the group members sold potent painkillers at inflated prices, according to the statement.
A criminal case has been initiated against the members of the organized criminal group under Article 133-1 (violation of the conditions and/or procedure for the removal and transplantation of human organs and/or tissues), 228 (manufacture, forgery of documents, stamps, seals, forms, their sale or use), 246 (smuggling) and 273 (illegal manufacture, acquisition, storage and other actions with narcotic drugs, their analogues or psychotropic substances for the purpose of sale, as well as their sale) of the Criminal Code.
The investigation has been completed, and the case has been referred to the court.
Since May 2022, a law on the transplantation of human organs and tissues has come into force in Uzbekistan. The work on the law has been ongoing since 2017. Transplantation of human organs and tissues is allowed only in state medical institutions.
