- The victims, who were living in deplorable conditions and incompatible with human dignity, have been placed at their disposal shelters in different provinces
- During the operation two simulated pistols were intervened, abundant documentation of their activities and cash
Last week, in the framework of the operation “WORKER” developed by the Civil Guard in collaboration with the Judicial Police of Portugal, actions were carried out in Rioja Alavesa aimed at the dismantling of the criminal network and the release of 15 people subjected to what is currently defined as a situation of ‘modern slavery’.
These investigations began at the end of February, when one of the victims who had managed to flee from the situation in which he was found brought the facts to the attention of the Civil Guard, which led to the initiation of investigations that led to the safeguarding of the other victims and the arrest of the alleged perpetrators.
The government delegate, Denis Itxaso, stressed that “the living conditions of the victims were distressing and deplorable. The unhealthy situation of the buildings where the workers were housed was not compatible or in accordance with the minimum requirements for human dignity.”
The Civil Guard has found a model of ‘modern slavery’, in which, as if it were a legal institution, the ‘property’ of these workers became that of the person under whom they were subjugated. To this end, “they used economic dependency because any daily and professional act of their lives was subdued, monitored and authorized by the person who led the network. The victims were forced to work in subhuman conditions, without being able to refuse due to coercion, threats or abuse of power,” said Itxaso. The person who was in the position of dominance profited at the expense of the work of these victims, regardless of the harmful working conditions in which they found themselves.
“The released people, all of them of Portuguese nationality,” added Itxaso, “were caught in their country of origin and transferred to the area where they had to carry out their work. None of them had family roots and were in a state of total vulnerability.”
Once in the geographical area where they had to perform their tasks, they were forced to do work days of 12 hours a day, seven days a week. It should be noted that some of them, after having been carrying out these tasks for months, ended up generating an economic debt with the head of the network that forced them to remain in this situation of ‘slavery’ to be able to face it.
When the detainees’ homes were searched and searched, 9,300 euros were seized hidden in a double background, two mock pistols and abundant documentation related to the facts investigated. In addition, it has requested the seizure of up to five real estate properties, derived from the profit obtained with the criminal activity.
The court hearing the case has ordered the provisional detention of those responsible for the events. Meanwhile, the Labour Inspectorate of the Ministry of Social Affairs has opened punitive files to some of the employers who used the services of the alleged perpetrators.
The victims have been transferred to reception apartments, located in different cities of the Spanish geography, for their safeguarding.
In addition to the Judicial Police Units of Álava and the Basque Country Area, a canine unit of the Civil Guard detected paper money, the Directoria do Norte-Seccao Regional de Lucha ao Terrorism e Banditism of the Portuguese Judicial Police, the Labour and Social Security Inspectorate and social workers of a foundation specializing in human trafficking belonging to the Cruz Blanca intervened in the operation.
Both the investigations conducted and the detainees have been placed at the disposal of the number one Examining Court in Vitoria.