Illegal networks are actively operating in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan.
According to Darya Saprynskaya, an orientalist and researcher at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the black market for organ trafficking in Central Asia continues to pose a serious threat.
Despite efforts to tighten legislation (particularly reforms carried out in Uzbekistan in 2022), the region remains an active site for illegal operations. In 2025, a group of twelve people involved in organ trafficking was uncovered in Uzbekistan, and similar cases were recorded in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
Several factors complicate the fight against this criminal market:
- Geographic location and the presence of "gray zones." Proximity to South Asia, known as a global center for this business, along with disputed border areas, provides criminal groups the opportunity to operate almost with impunity.
- Legal camouflage. Tracking such transactions is extremely difficult, as they are often disguised as voluntary donations. People sign consent forms, thereby legalizing criminal activities in the medical field.
- Social vulnerability. The most impoverished segments of the population, as well as women and children, are at risk. In conditions of demographic growth and a lack of social benefits, criminal organizations exploit poverty as an "entry point" into this criminal activity.
According to Saprynskaya, "in this criminal chain, ordinary donors in Central Asia can receive from $1,000 to $10,000, while organizers and couriers can earn up to $400,000 per transaction."
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