Alleged Israeli organ trafficker arrested in Cyprus
Authorities in Israel suspect former soccer player headed crime ring that paid Israeli women for kidneys. ● An Israeli man suspected of illegally trafficking in human organs has been detained in Cyprus for using a fake passport. Uzi Shmueli, a former professional soccer player for Hapoel Beersheba, allegedly headed a crime ring that lured struggling young Israeli women, mostly from the south of the country, to Turkey and paid them NIS 20,000 (some $5,750) for their kidneys. Israeli authorities suspected that he had fled abroad after they opened an investigation into the alleged trafficking ring.