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Organ trafficking suspect flees Israel

JERUSALEM, Nov. 26 (UPI) -- A man charged with trafficking in human organs in Israel has reportedly fled house arrest and possibly the country.

Albert Chernov and two other suspects were arrested five months ago, on suspicion of having recruited organ donors by means of extortion and threats.

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Chernov was also charged with impersonating a doctor and performing indecent acts on potential organ donors.

Late last week, a few weeks before his trial was slated to begin, Chernov disappeared. His attorney, Adi Kedar, suggested Chernov had been kidnapped.

The suspects allegedly placed advertisements in Russian-language newspapers, offering large sums of money to anyone willing to sell one of their kidneys.

If found compatible, the donor/seller was flown to Turkey for surgical removal of the kidney, and the organs were then taken for transplantation in Europe, Turkey and the United States, Ha'aretz reported Wednesday.

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