Hit against a group dedicated to the trafficking and labor exploitation of people in supermarkets in Catalonia. The Mossos d’Esquadra have detained six people of Pakistani origin, including the head of the criminal organization, in provisional prison. The police explained this Thursday that they have released a total of 18 people – four of them victims of human trafficking and 14 of labor exploitation – who were living in “slavery conditions”, with low or non-existent salaries.
“They made them work from the time the supermarket opened until it closed, from Monday to Sunday. In their daily lives, there were two ways of living together: in the organization’s apartments, which was a form of control, or they spent the night and lived in the same supermarket, on the ground floor, in the warehouse or even in the hallways,” he detailed. Sub-inspector Lluís Moreno of the Central Human Trafficking Unit of the Mossos.
The victims were deceived in their country of origin, Pakistan, promising them a decent salary and stable conditions in Catalonia, but then they were exploited at work and found themselves in an irregular situation.
The Central Human Trafficking Unit of the Mossos became aware in March of last year of the existence of the criminal organization, based mainly in the Maresme region and managing supermarkets spread across different towns in the Barcelona and Girona district. The arrests occurred in February in an investigation that remains open.
On the other hand, the Mossos d’Esquadra have also reported that in 2023 they concluded four investigations into human trafficking, three of them whose purpose was sexual exploitation and the other used people to commit thefts and robberies on public transport. . In total, seven people were arrested and 8 victims were released.
