Turkish police have detained 41 people in a 14-province operation targeting an alleged illegal egg trafficking network operating across Türkiye, Turkish Cyprus, Albania and Georgia.
Authorities issued detention warrants for 53 suspects, including the alleged ringleader, five organizers, two obstetricians and gynecologists, and four travel coordinators.
Investigators allege that 41 women acted as egg donors and sold their reproductive cells 811 times through the network, receiving between 60 and 80 euros per egg. Seven suspects are believed to be abroad, while another is already in prison.
The investigation, coordinated by the Istanbul Anadolu Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, began after a complaint was filed through CİMER, Türkiye’s presidential communications center. Evidence gathered through surveillance, financial intelligence records, bank transactions, courier information, telephone records and flight data revealed an organized operation recruiting Turkish women and arranging for them to undergo egg retrieval at affiliated clinics abroad.
According to the allegations, a woman identified as Hacer T., who had herself donated eggs, eventually took charge of the network. She allegedly recruited other women and directed them to clinics in Turkish Cyprus. Donor profiles featuring photographs, videos, physical characteristics and eye and hair colors were reportedly compiled and presented to prospective recipients.
Investigators believe the suspects examined women in Türkiye, administered hormone treatments to prepare them for egg retrieval and coordinated their travel abroad. Searches at suspects’ addresses uncovered numerous medications used in hormone therapy.
Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said the authorities would pursue criminal organizations seeking to profit from the human body, adding that investigators were working to identify all those involved and bring them to justice.
The case has renewed debate over reproductive-cell donation, which is prohibited under Turkish law. The article governing the procurement, storage, transplantation and transfer of organs and tissues, provides for three to five years in prison and judicial fines for offenses including the illegal donation, sale, transfer or brokerage of reproductive cells and embryos.
Legal experts say regulations differ internationally, prompting some people to seek treatment abroad. Turkish Cyprus has become a destination for fertility procedures involving donor eggs and sperm, amid what experts describe as gaps or differences in its regulatory framework.
Gazi Yıldırım, secretary-general of the Turkish Society of Infertility and Reproductive Medicine, said although it is generally considered safe when performed properly, the procedure carries risks including bleeding and infection.
Yıldırım also highlighted ethical concerns over donor anonymity and the potential for donor-conceived children to unknowingly form relationships with biological siblings. A single donor may contribute eggs or sperm used to create embryos for multiple recipients, creating challenges in tracking genetic relationships.
