[Regnum] A foreigner wanted by Interpol for human trafficking for the purpose of organ removal has been detained at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport. This was announced to reporters by Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs spokesperson Irina Volk on October 2.
"At Vnukovo Airport named after A.N. Tupolev, officers from the National Central Bureau of Interpol of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for Moscow, and the transport police detained a foreigner deported from the Republic of Turkey. He was wanted by Russian law enforcement agencies on charges of human trafficking as part of an organized group and intentionally causing grievous bodily harm," Volk explained.
A representative of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs explained that between 2006 and 2008, the detainee was a member of a transnational organized group that was involved in human trafficking for the removal of vital organs and their use in illegal transplantation.
Specifically, the accused convinced several Russian citizens to travel to Kosovo and agree to have their kidneys removed for a fee. The individuals underwent illegal operations at a clinic in Pristina, resulting in serious bodily harm.
Criminal cases have been opened against the accused under Articles 111 (“Intentional infliction of grievous bodily harm”) and 127.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Human trafficking”).
An international search for the accused was launched at the request of the Russian Prosecutor General's Office based on materials from the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for Moscow. The man was located through Interpol and deported to Russia with the assistance of Turkish law enforcement.