Zamir, arrested last week
Photo: Hagai Aharon
2 more organ trade suspects detained
Police arrest 54-year-old from Herzliya, 39-year-old from Tavor in organ trafficking affair in which Brig.-Gen. (Res.) Meir Zamir was detained last week
The Northern District Police's fraud investigations unit on Sunday arrested a 54-year-old insurance agent from Herzliya and a 39-year-old businessman from the village of Tavor suspected of involvement in an organ trafficking-ring. A decorated IDF reserve general and five others have already been arrested in the affair.
The suspects are to stand a remand hearing in the Nazareth Magistrate's Court.
Last Wednesday the affair was cleared for publication. According to suspicions, the ring, headed by 62-year old Brigadier-General (Res.) Meir Zamir from Rishon Lezion, who received a medal of valor for the Yom Kippur War, would for years try to locate people in need of kidney transplants.
In exchange for tens of thousands of dollars, the ring would fly buyers to hospitals around the world, while searching for people who would be willing to sell their kidneys.
The court extended the remand of the six suspects who were arrested last week.
The police said on Sunday that they believe they can base their indictments on some 10 – 20 cases in which the suspects defrauded their victims.
Superintendant Aharon Galor, who heads the fraud investigations unit, told Ynet that the two suspects arrested on Sunday dealt with the ring's "international relations", and were suspected, among other things, of making arrangements with the hospitals in which the operations were carried out.
One of the suspects arrested on Sunday is the brother of one of the six detained last week.
Galor said that some of the donors who were defrauded were afraid to come forward: "They are scared they will be charged with criminal offenses, this is a baseless fear." He said he hopes the police will be able to reach around 20 of the victims who were in contact with the suspects.
Zamir's family said that his actions were within the law. "He doesn't know any of the other people involved in the affair, and the court will realize that he has no connection to the allegations against him," his daughter said, "Dad did it all out of a desire to help people."
