A Czech human trafficking gang exploited 16 vulnerable individuals, forcing them to work at a McDonald’s in Cambridgeshire and a factory supplying major UK supermarkets, including Tesco, Asda, and Waitrose.
The victims, many of whom had faced homelessness or addiction, were coerced into labor over more than four years, with the gang stealing most of their earnings.
Despite earning at least the legal minimum wage, the victims lived in squalid conditions, including a leaking shed and an unheated caravan, while the gang funneled their wages into lavish purchases such as luxury cars, gold jewelry, and property in the Czech Republic.
The gang controlled the workers by paying the wages of four men into a single bank account, a well-established sign of modern slavery that went unnoticed.
Nine of the victims worked at a McDonald’s branch in Caxton, Cambridgeshire, while nine others were forced to work at a pitta bread factory in Hertfordshire and Tottenham that supplied own-brand products to several UK supermarkets.
Two victims were exploited at both locations.
The exploitation came to an end in October 2019, after some of the victims contacted Czech authorities, who then informed British police.
Despite several previous escape attempts, the victims had been tracked down and trafficked back to the UK by the gang.
Six members of the family-run trafficking network were convicted in two criminal trials, delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Reporting restrictions have now been lifted, allowing full details of the gang’s crimes to be revealed.
In response, McDonald’s UK stated that it has improved its systems to identify potential risks, while the British Retail Consortium said its members would learn from the case.
The revelations underscore the importance of vigilance in detecting modern slavery in the workplace and supply chains.
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