Rescued five victims of human trafficking and six detained in Portuguese and Spanish operation

Six people were detained on Wednesday in Spain, in a joint operation of the Portuguese and Spanish authorities. At issue they are suspected of trafficking in people for work purposes.

According to a statement from the Judicial Police, as part of the ‘hard hands’ operation were rescued five victims, four men and one woman, aged 25 to 28 years.

A family group of family had recruited, for several years and in a concerted manner, fragile people, with economic needs and in processes of social exclusion in Portugal and “deceived them with well-paid employment promises, for later exploration in agricultural work in various zones of Spain”.

The suspects combined with various employers “supply of this type of labor”, keeping victims controlled, living in “deplorable conditions of habitability and food”, under constant threat and coercion, then appropriated almost all the money that entrepreneurs handed them to pay salaries.

Two of the victims were kidnapped in Portugal, in late April, and they were obliged, by threat and coercion with firearms, to travel to the place where they were now rescued by the authorities.

The detainees, aged between 22 and 54, will be present at the national hearing in Madrid, for extradition to national territory.