A criminal scheme involving the removal and sale of organs from deceased individuals was uncovered in Chernivtsi

Ukrainian law enforcement agencies have dismantled a criminal group in the Chernivtsi region whose members were involved in the illegal removal and subsequent sale of anatomical materials from deceased individuals. The suspects in the case are employees of the regional forensic medical bureau who organized an illegal business supplying biological raw materials to implant manufacturers. This was reported on August 28 by the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine.

According to investigative materials published by the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, four morgue employees established a system for removing bones, skin, tendons, and corneas from the bodies of the deceased. The bureau’s activities had no legal basis, as the facility did not possess the necessary license to perform transplant procedures. To give their actions the appearance of legality, the perpetrators entered into fictitious “scientific and medical cooperation” agreements with commercial enterprises.

The investigation established that the relatives of the deceased were misled by being offered free funeral services in exchange for consent to tissue removal, while the true purposes of using the biomaterial were concealed. In a number of documented cases, the removal was carried out even in the face of the families’ explicit refusal. The removed anatomical materials were shipped to clients in special containers, notably via rail.