The nicer sort of organlegger leaves an apology note
An Organlegger is a criminal who either smuggles human organs for purposes of sale for transplant surgery, or even kidnaps and murders people to sell their organs on the black market.
While the rich can afford to keep custom-grown clonesicles on ice in case they need organ transplants, many don't bother with the long-term expense for something they may never need. When such cheapskates end up needing a new kidney or pair of lungs, they may turn to the black market for replacement parts. Even legal clonesicles whose owners die or fail to keep up support payments may be chopped up for spare parts to sell on the black market, instead of (as legally required) being put into the general pool of donor organs free to any compatible recipient in need. As such organs are a very perishable product, and customers need to be tissue-type matched with donor organs, the profits to be made on quickly finding, transporting, and delivering a compatible organ to a paying customer can be quite high. This has led to extensive theft, smuggling, and sale of human body parts all across human space.
Behind the Scenes[]
The term was coined by sci-fi author Larry Niven, as an analogy to bootleggers smuggling booze.