Russian authorities last week arrested Boris Wolfman, an Israeli-Ukrainian citizen wanted by Interpol, on suspicion of organizing a transnational human organ trafficking network.
The 40-year-old Wolfman is accused of being part of a criminal group composed of Israeli, Turkish and Ukrainian nationals that operated between 2006 and 2008. According to Russian investigators, the group recruited kidney “donors” from Russia, Moldova, Kazakhstan and Belarus for surgeries at a private clinic in Kosovo.
Boris Wolfman's arrest
Authorities said the donors were promised payments of 15,000 to 17,000 euros for their kidneys but were never paid and were left without medical care after the operations. Russian law enforcement officials said they had monitored the group’s activities for more than 20 years. If convicted, Wolfman could face up to 15 years in prison in Russia.
Wolfman was extradited to Russia from Turkey, where he had been involved in importing canola oil and citrus fruits to Israel. In addition to the Interpol arrest warrant, he is wanted in Israel, Kosovo, Ukraine and several other countries, where he is suspected of involvement in similar organ trafficking operations.
In Israel, prosecutors filed an indictment against him in 2015 along with six other defendants, charging them with illegal organ trafficking and transplant operations in several countries. Shortly before his trial was set to begin, Wolfman fled Israel. He was later arrested in Turkey on suspicion of harvesting organs from Syrian refugees.
In previous years, Wolfman ran a company called Beshem Shamayim, or “In the Name of Heaven,” which openly advertised ways to bypass transplant waiting lists for kidneys, hearts and livers. He claimed at the time that his actions were “God’s work” and offered kidney transplants for about 700,000 shekels, roughly $180,000. Refugees from whom organs were taken reportedly received little or no payment, according to the allegations against him.
Following his arrest, Russia’s Interior Ministry said in a statement that “the suspect and his partners exploited the trust of numerous Russian citizens, persuading them to travel to Kosovo and agree to kidney removal surgeries for money. During these illegal procedures, the donors suffered serious physical harm.”
Western media outlets citing intelligence sources reported that the Russian investigation initially identified only two victims. As the investigation progressed, authorities uncovered dozens more across several countries.
A report by the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo, or EULEX, identified Wolfman as the head of the trafficking network. The Russian daily Kommersant wrote after his arrest that “he ran a slaughterhouse — now it’s his turn to be examined.”
Wolfman’s attorney denied the allegations, saying his client was not involved in any criminal activity. “My client only handled documentation for insurance companies serving clients of the Medicus clinic and other medical centers,” the lawyer said. “The kidneys were transplanted into Israeli and German citizens who paid for the surgeries themselves and were later reimbursed by their insurance companies. There is no connection whatsoever to organ trafficking.”