Vitoria (EFE).- The Civil Guard has released 15 Portuguese workers who were being exploited in vineyards in Rioja Alavesa.
In addition, two men have been arrested and imprisoned accused of trafficking in human beings for the purpose of labor exploitation.
The fifteen Portuguese have been offered reception apartments in different provinces and some have chosen to stay there.
Others have preferred to stay in Álava working for other businessmen, sources from the armed institute have informed Efe.
In addition, during the operation two simulated pistols, abundant documentation of their activities and cash were seized.
Operation “Worker” culminated last week when Civil Guard agents in collaboration with the Portuguese Judicial Police dismantled this “modern slavery” network.
This is how the Government delegate in the Basque Country, Denis Itxaso, described it in a statement.
Freed from a web of modern slavery
The two detainees – the head of the network and his assistant, also of Portuguese nationality – have entered prison by court order.
The investigations began at the end of February when one of the victims managed to flee and reported the facts to the Civil Guard.
He explained that they worked 12 hours a day, 7 days a week throughout the Rioja Alavesa for different employers.
When it was not harvest time or when they had to do work in the vineyards, they were assigned any other function, such as construction tasks or any other work for which labor was necessary.
The workers were housed in buildings in an unsanitary situation.
The network “used economic dependence since any daily and work act of their lives was subjected, monitored and authorized by the person who directed the network.”
They worked 12 hours seven days a week.
The workers were recruited in Portugal and transferred to Rioja Alavesa, without family roots.
Some of these workers, after having been employed for months, even generated an economic debt with the head of the network.
Two lagareras pisan grapes. EFE/Iván Lozano
This forced them to remain in this situation of slavery to be able to face it.
When the home of the detainees was searched, the agents seized 9,300 euros hidden in a false bottom, two simulated pistols and abundant documentation related to the facts investigated.
In addition, the seizure of five real estate properties has been requested, coming from the profit obtained from criminal activity.
Prison for the two detainees
The Court decreed provisional prison for two arrested.
The Labor Inspectorate of the Ministry of Social Affairs has opened disciplinary proceedings against some of the employers who used the services of the alleged perpetrators of the events.
To complete the operation, the Civil Guard used a canine unit specialized in detecting paper money.
Also social workers from a foundation specialized in human trafficking belonging to Cruz Blanca. EFE