An international criminal organization was uncovered in the investigation initiated on the allegation that reproductive cells were sold abroad in exchange for money and that these activities were carried out in an organized manner in 14 provinces based in Istanbul. It was claimed that the organization, which was determined to operate in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), Georgia, Albania and Turkey, procured the eggs collected from female donors for 60-80 euros (3 thousand 500-4 thousand 500 liras) and sold them abroad for 100 euros. It was claimed that 3 doctors in the organization received commissions from both transplant transactions and customer orders.
Details of the operation announced by Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek have emerged. It was stated that the investigation, carried out by the Istanbul Police Department Immigrant Smuggling and Border Gates Branch Directorate, under the coordination of the Istanbul Anatolian Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, with the support of MASAK, was initiated upon a complaint made to CİMER by a person who claimed that he was trading eggs with his pharmacist lover, whose wife was cheating on him.
It was determined that textile worker Hacer T., who is stated to be the head of the network, procured eggs according to the order criteria from 41 female donors, together with her business partner and pharmacist lover Muammer T. It was claimed that 3 gynecologists in Ankara, Istanbul and TRNC collected the orders and carried out the transportation procedures. It was determined that Hacer T. took photos and videos of the women and showed them to those who requested eggs, and her lover provided the drugs to be used in the procedures.
In the investigation, it was determined that foreign customers who wanted to have children preferred donors with blond hair and blue eyes, and the response to the requests was "We can find anything". It was claimed that clinics in Georgia and Albania do not accept eggs outside these criteria. The teams determined that 41 female donors between the ages of 21-33 went abroad and transferred eggs a total of 811 times. During MASAK investigations, payments made to donors, plane tickets purchased for travel and money transfers between suspects were detected. It was determined that the organization obtained illegal income of more than 2 million euros in this way.
CNN TÜRK Reporter Merve Tokaz explained the details of the operation. “The illegal germ cell trade is an interesting investigation in every detail.” Tokaz said, "Hacer T. Actually, a textile worker, he has been doing this textile business for many years. His aim is to earn more money. Hacer T. learns egg sales through a friend. He becomes the first doner of the organization and as his earnings increase, he includes everyone around him into the organization. He meets a person named Muharrem and these two people form an organization together. The story begins in Turkey, they turn it into a systematic system that extends to Albania, TRNC and Georgia. Within 6 years, women are injected with drugs, "Various treatments are applied to increase the number of eggs. The organization has prepared a catalog system and has the photos and information of the women. Those who want to have children contact Hacer T. via WhatsApp and send the photos to the people who contact them, categorizing the women in the organization according to their height, weight, age, date of birth and hair color." he said.
In Turkey, female egg donation, sale and intermediation for this purpose are prohibited within the scope of assisted reproductive treatment legislation. While practices regarding egg donation vary from country to country, in some countries payment can be made for donations, in others only expenses can be covered.
