The gang that exploited Ukrainians was arrested in Spain

Handicraft factories, where Ukrainian citizens lived in poor conditions, are located in three regions of the country.

Spanish police have arrested 27 members of a gang that runs illegal cigarette factories where Ukrainians work in poor conditions. The factories are located in three regions of Spain. The BBC reported this on Monday, January 23.

The attackers were charged with smuggling large quantities of tobacco, which were used for the illegal production of cigarettes. These factories produced up to half a million packages per day, which were then sold in Spain and abroad.

Law enforcement officials also arrested illegal products totaling 37.5 million euros. Expensive cars, expensive jewelry and large sums of money were seized. Searches took place in more than 20 industrial facilities, residential buildings and shops.

Law enforcement officials discovered that Ukrainians were living in cramped mobile homes on the territory of the factories. They worked overtime and could not leave the factories for fear of being imprisoned, as some of them entered the country illegally. Factory workers include Ukrainians who have received temporary protection status as wartime refugees.

The bosses of the illegal production “enjoyed a luxurious life” by laundering funds from fake cigarettes, the police added.

The first clandestine factory – in a chicken coop – near Seville in the south of the country appeared before the start of a full-scale war in Ukraine, at the end of 2021. In yoga, it helped the police to find other sites of illegal production in the east in Valencia and in the north of La Rioja.

The gang also has extensive production and large plantations of marijuana. Europol assisted the Spanish police investigation.

It should be noted that cases of labor exploitation of Ukrainians have become more frequent in Finland.

Lithuania warns that scammers are collecting data of Ukrainians

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