Azernews.Az

BAKU - Azerbaijan's law enforcement agencies have dismissed allegations about illegal organ transplants in the country, following reports saying a criminal group arranging transplant surgeries in Azerbaijan for further sale of body parts has been detained in Ukraine.

The Prosecutor-General’s Office said in a statement that the reports on "black transplants" quoting the Ukrainian Interior Ministry had been scrutinized and no such cases were revealed.

"During the preliminary investigation no cases of illegal transplants of human organs or tissues were discovered in the republic’s territory, including the city of Baku," the statement said. "However, to track such instances, intense joint operations continue in coordination with the Interior Ministry and, if such instances are revealed, the public will be informed about them, having ensured taking adequate measures in line with the law."

Russian RIA Novosti news agency has recently quoted Ukrainian Interior Ministry department head Yuri Kucher as saying that the criminal group involved in illegal organ transplants includes citizens of Ukraine and Israel. Kucher said the outlaws had long been taking citizens of Belarus, Moldova, Russia, Uzbekistan and Ukraine to Kyiv, Azerbaijan and Ecuador. They were reportedly arranging surgeries to remove body parts for their further sale to wealthy recipients, mainly from Israel, who paid $100,000 to $200,000 for such transplants.