Headlines
Poland arrests Ukrainian woman convicted of selling 56 human kidneys
Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on March 11, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 24, 2026
Quick Summary
A Ukrainian woman, convicted of selling 56 kidneys, was arrested in Poland under an Interpol red notice. She faces extradition to Kazakhstan.
Ukrainian Woman Arrested in Poland for Selling 56 Human Kidneys
WARSAW (Reuters) - Polish border guards detained a Ukrainian woman who was sentenced in Kazakhstan to 12 years in prison for participating in an organised criminal group trading in human organs and selling 56 kidneys, prosecutors said on Tuesday.
The 35-year-old woman, referred to only as Ksenia P. under Polish privacy laws, was detained at a railway crossing between Poland and Ukraine under an Interpol red notice, Marta Petkowska, a spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office in Przemysl, said in a statement.
The prosecutors didn't say why the woman wasn't in prison in Kazakhstan at the time she was detained at the crossing or when she was convicted.
She has been wanted by Interpol since November 2020, prosecutors said. An Interpol red notice is a request to global law enforcement to provisionally arrest a person pending extradition or similar legal action.
The woman was convicted for participation in an international organised criminal group that illegally collected tissues and organs from people from 2017 to 2019 and sold them on the black market, Petkowska added.
She was also convicted of illegally obtaining "kidneys from 56 injured parties in Kazakhstan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Thailand" for financial benefit and of "making the crimes committed a permanent source of income."
The prosecution submitted a motion to a court to apply one week's temporary arrest so that she could be extradited to Kazakhstan.
(Reporting by Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
Key Takeaways
- •A Ukrainian woman was arrested in Poland for organ trafficking.
- •She was convicted in Kazakhstan for selling 56 kidneys.
- •Interpol issued a red notice for her arrest since 2020.
- •The arrest occurred at a Poland-Ukraine railway crossing.
- •Extradition to Kazakhstan is being pursued by prosecutors.
Frequently Asked Questions about Poland arrests Ukrainian woman convicted of selling 56 human kidneys
1Why was the Ukrainian woman arrested in Poland?
The Ukrainian woman was arrested for her involvement in an organized criminal group that traded human organs, specifically for selling 56 kidneys.
2What was her sentence in Kazakhstan?
She was sentenced to 12 years in prison in Kazakhstan for her role in the illegal organ trade.
3What is an Interpol red notice?
An Interpol red notice is a request to global law enforcement to provisionally arrest a person pending extradition or similar legal action.
4Which countries were involved in the illegal organ trade?
The woman was convicted of illegally obtaining kidneys from individuals in Kazakhstan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Thailand.
5What steps are being taken for her extradition?
The prosecution has submitted a motion to a court for a one-week temporary arrest to facilitate her extradition to Kazakhstan.
