15 victims of labour exploitation released in the provinces of Jaén and Málaga

The Spanish Civil Guard, within the framework of the “Salaria” operation, has arrested eight people and investigated another three for their alleged membership in a criminal organisation that operated in the provinces of Jaén, Murcia and Málaga. The organisation was dedicated to promoting illegal immigration by committing crimes against workers’ rights, against the rights of foreign citizens, document falsification, coercion, identity theft and social security fraud.

With the dismantling of this criminal organisation, 15 victims who were being held have been freed: seven in Jódar, one in Jaén, two in Cazorla, two more in Villacarrillo and three more in the Malaga town of Ronda.

The operation began when it was discovered that, in a short space of time, more than twenty fast food establishments had opened in the province of Jaén. These businesses caught the attention of the agents because they had little or no activity in them and it was found that the majority of their employees were Pakistanis in an irregular situation in Spain. The Civil Guard has carried out 19 raids and searches in properties belonging to the organisation, in the homes of its main leaders, also in fast food establishments and in the houses they used to house and control the victims in Jaén.

Investigators found false documentation in the registers used by workers to avoid possible inspections and to falsify registrations, rental contracts and false property sales contracts.

The organization was led by three individuals of Pakistani origin, owners of the companies and establishments, who directed and organized the network. Another intermediate group was dedicated to controlling and transporting employees between the different establishments and homes, serving as a link between the leaders and the employees. Some of them acted as front men, with some of the establishments being registered in their name. Among those arrested and investigated of Pakistani origin, there is a detainee of Spanish nationality, who allegedly provided cover for the organization in relation to the processing of files for regularization of stays in Spanish territory. 

The employees, victims of the organisation, were in an irregular situation and the detainees took advantage of their vulnerability to recruit them with the promise of obtaining legal documentation for them in Spain. In addition, they withheld their personal documentation to make it difficult for them to move freely. They were exploited at work, lacking a contract and financial compensation for their work, and their working hours exceeded all legal limits and without any type of rest. Under the control of the organisation, they were housed in homes lacking the minimum hygienic, sanitary and habitability conditions, and some workers even lived in the same hospitality establishments where they worked. The organization was funded by the money that victims paid in exchange for their regularization, at the cost of working without any type of legal coverage or remuneration.