Labor slavery. 35 suspects arrested in PJ operation in Alentejo

The doubt has arisen Crimes include human trafficking, criminal association and money laundering🇧🇷 One of the alleged crimes involved the exploitation of hundreds of foreign workers in agricultural fields in the Alentejo region and in the center of the country. Suspects enrich themselves with victims’ salaries, paid by their employers.

This operation of the judicial police focused mainly on Alentejo, that is, in the regions of Beja and Cuba, with many inspectors. The prisoners have already started arriving at the PJ complex in Lisbon and are due to appear before a judge only on Thursday.🇧🇷

Victims are also starting to listen, RTP found.

The suspects, aged 22 and 58, are foreign and Portuguese nationals and have been charged with “criminal association, human trafficking, money laundering, forgery of documents, etc.🇧🇷 Also, It is part of a criminal structure dedicated to exploiting the work of migrant citizens, most of whom are induced to come and work in other countries such as Romania, Moldova, India, Senegal, Pakistan, Morocco, Algeria. In exploiting agriculture in that part of our country”🇧🇷

The operation, according to the PJ, had the cooperation of various state and non-state agencies, both in logistical support and referral of victims. According to the same source, this network was created by foreigners, namely Romanian families and some Portuguese supported them.

Through one plan, the suspects will count on the cooperation of a lawyer from the village of Alentejo, Cuba, who helped create ghost companies and falsify documents.

The alleged victims were migrants who entered Portugal illegally to work on farms. The network keeps these foreign nationals in a state of slavery, without access to much of their salary, under threat of physical violence and forced labor.

In countries of origin, victims are lured to Portugal with promises of a better life, ownership of a home, working conditions and decent wages. But everything is just the trappings of an organized network, which operates with members from the Bija District, Eastern Europe, India, Pakistan or Timor.

The PJ’s investigation began a year ago and focused on the recruitment by this criminal network of foreign workers with promises of employment and housing.