Staff of the General Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the National Central Bureau of Interpol, with the assistance of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, have extradited from Poland a citizen of Ukraine who was on the international wanted list on suspicion of trafficking in human organs.
According to the press service of the department, in 2017–2018 she was a member of a transnational organised criminal group involved in the illegal buying and selling of human organs.
The investigation established that the suspect was engaged in finding donors and recipients, organising their meetings, ensuring secrecy, as well as coordinating and accompanying operations for the illegal transplantation of organs.
According to law enforcement agencies, members of the criminal group, operating on the territory of Kazakhstan and a number of other states, organised at least 56 illegal transactions for the purchase and sale of organs from living individuals, followed by transplantation in medical organisations in the Republic of Kazakhstan.
After committing the alleged acts, the suspect evaded criminal prosecution authorities and was on the international wanted list for five years.
In March of this year, she was detained while attempting to cross the state border of Poland. At the request of the General Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the suspect was extradited.
The accused has now been placed in a pre-trial detention centre. For the commission of the alleged crimes, the legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan provides for a punishment of imprisonment for a term of eight to twelve years with confiscation of property.
The department noted that two other members of this organised criminal group were previously extradited from Turkey and the Russian Federation.
Earlier, the General Prosecutor's Office reported the extradition of a citizen of Kazakhstan from the Republic of Lithuania. The man had been on the international wanted list for 17 years on suspicion of murder and illegal possession of firearms.