Turkish police detain dozens in probe of alleged egg-selling network
Police in Turkey have arrested 36 people across 14 provinces as part of an investigation into a suspected ring that sent women abroad to sell their eggs.
Turkish law bans the commercial sale of eggs, allowing assisted reproduction only with the couple's own gametes. Yet police say a criminal organization facilitated women’s travel to foreign clinics, where they were paid for egg donation. The probe, led by the Istanbul Anatolian Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, has resulted in 36 arrests in 14 provinces, while 53 suspects remain under investigation, including two doctors and several travel agents.
Financial records, communications and travel data have been examined, and one suspect was already incarcerated. Authorities are still looking for 16 more individuals, seven of whom are thought to be abroad. The alleged offenses include organized crime, organ and tissue trafficking, and violations of Turkey’s reproductive-cell regulations, punishable by three to five years in prison and fines.
Why it matters
The case highlights illegal commercial egg trade and cross-border reproductive tourism, raising legal and ethical concerns.
How this story developed
- Oct 13 Severe rainstorm floods Istanbul, causing traffic chaos and two fatalities
- Oct 14 Turkish police entered Halk TV's Istanbul headquarters, halted live transmission and placed a government-appointed trustee in charge.
- Oct 14 A government‑appointed manager was placed in charge of the channel.
- Oct 15 Turkey mobilised over 55,000 emergency personnel to assist with flood relief.
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