A 49-year-old man has been arrested and charged during a pro-active operation targeting those involved in human trafficking in Edinburgh.
A four-figure sum of cash was also seized during the search of a property in the Marchmont area and enquiries are ongoing.
Detective Superintendent Stevie Bertram said: “Today’s activity is part of an ongoing operation aimed at tackling those who exploit vulnerable members of our communities for their own personal gain.
“Human trafficking is despicable and our commitment to identifying those involved and bringing them to court is unwavering.
“I would urge anyone who has any knowledge about where it is happening or who may be involved to get in touch with Police Scotland on 101 or information can be given anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
‘Ramp-up’ of arrests and visits set to take place across the UK targeting migrants working illegally
Enforcement teams are gearing up to launch a nationwide blitz targeting illegal working hotspots, with a focus on the gig economy and migrants working as delivery riders.
Under the Government’s Plan for Change to restore order to the immigration system and tougher enforcement of the rules, Home Office Immigration Enforcement teams will launch a major operation to disrupt this type of criminality.
Strategic, intel-driven activity will bring together officers across the UK and place an increased focus on migrants suspected of working illegally whilst in taxpayer funded accommodation or receiving financial support.
The law is clear that asylum seekers are only entitled to this support if they would otherwise be destitute. That is why anyone caught flagrantly abusing the system in this way, as a result of the operation, will face having support discontinued, whether that’s entitlement to accommodation or payments.
Operational teams will target certain hotspots across the country over a period of intensification, as well as going after organisations who wilfully employ those working illegally, through civil penalty referrals. Any business found to be illegally employing someone could face a fine of up to £60,000 per worker, director disqualifications and potential prison sentences of up to five years.
The Government has been surging action against illegal working since coming into power one year ago, with 10,031 illegal working visits leading to 7,130 arrests, marking a 48% and 51% rise respectively, compared to the year before (5 July 2023 to 28 June 2024). This marks the first time in a 12-month period where more than 10,000 visits have taken place.
748 illegal working civil penalty notices were also handed to businesses caught violating immigration rules in the first quarter (January to March) of the year, marking the highest level since 2016 – an 81% increase compared to the same time last year.
And the Government is tightening the law by making it a legal requirement for all companies, including the gig economy, to check anyone working for them has the legal right to do so. This will end the abuse of flexible working arrangements. The new measures will be introduced through the landmark Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, said: “Illegal working undermines honest business and undercuts local wages – the British public will not stand for it and neither will this government.
“Often those travelling to the UK illegally are sold a lie by the people smuggling gangs that they will be able to live and work freely in this country, when in reality they end up facing squalid living conditions, minimal pay and inhumane working hours.
“We are surging enforcement action against this pull factor, on top of returning 30,000 people with no right to be here and tightening the law through our Plan for Change.
“But there is no single solution to the problem of illegal migration. That’s why we’ve signed landmark agreements with international partners to dismantle gangs and made significant arrests of notorious people smugglers.”
Director of Enforcement, Compliance and Crime, Eddy Montgomery, said: “Our dedicated Immigration Enforcement officers have been ramping up action to disable illegal working across the board.
“This next step of co-ordinated activity will target those who seek to work illegally in the gig economy and exploit their status in the UK.
“That means if you are found to be working with no legal right to do so, we will bring the full force of powers available to us to disrupt and stop this abuse. There will no place to hide.”
This targeted action is on top of ongoing work across the country to disrupt people flouting the rules across different sectors.
Earlier this week, during a joint operation with the Metropolitan Police to go after people suspected of working illegally as cash in hand builders, officers targeted anti-social behaviour and illegally modified scooters and e-bikes.
20 Indian nationals were arrested as part of the operation. This included 16 overstayers, one illegal entrant, one port absconder and two small boat arrivals.
On 18 June, West Midlands teams conducted an operation on Smethwick High Street after receiving intelligence on a major collection point for people suspected of going to work illegally, primarily on construction sites.
The team encountered 73 individuals, arresting 26 suspected immigration offenders (24 Indian nationals, one Nepalese national and one Italian national). This led to the detention of 11 Indian nationals.
And on 12 June, East of England teams conducted a multi-agency operation with police in Lynn Road, Wisbech, focusing on cash in hand builders using illegally modified e-bikes. They carried out 21 immigration checks which resulted the arrest of three men, including one Syrian, one Chinese and one Brazilian national.
The police went on to seize six mopeds and one car for offences including driving with no insurance, no driving licence and disqualification.
The crackdown also sits alongside key join up with the delivery industry on tackling illicit account sharing. On Monday, 30 June , the Home Office and Department for Business and Trade met with major delivery firms and pledged to strengthen security checks to tackle illegal working.
Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat have committed to increasing the number of daily facial recognition checks riders are required to take to verify their identity.
Illegal working is linked to exploitation, with teams often encountering squalid living conditions, people receiving little to no pay and inhumane working hours. In the worst instances, these individuals may be victims of modern slavery.
Immigration Enforcement take a number of steps to spot the signs of individuals who are potentially being exploited and, where appropriate, will refer people to the National Referral Mechanism so they can access support. They also work closely with crucial partners like the Gangmasters Labour Abuse Authority, to share insights and strengthen the approach to tackling labour exploitation.
And this new operation is just one part of the government’s action to strengthen UK border security and disable the people smuggling gangs fuelling illegal migration.
Over the past year, the government says the Prime Minister has been resetting relationships and forging partnerships across Europe and beyond, to ensure a targeted international response in breaking the model behind this vile trade.
Furthermore, nearly 30,000 people with no right to be in UK have been returned, landmark agreements have been signed with Iraq to dismantle gangs and Italy to take down illicit finance networks and a world-first people smuggling sanctions regime has been launched to ban travel and freeze assets.
A suspected people-smuggling gang has been arrested for allegedly using false identity documents to smuggle hundreds of people into the UK illegally, luring them into a life of exploitation and misery.
On Tuesday 1 July, Immigration Enforcement officers executed warrants in Greater London, and Batley, West Yorkshire and arrested 7 suspects. The targets are believed to have used forged passports and visas of people with legitimate status in the UK to facilitate their illegal arrival, and subsequent employment in black market businesses.
The gang is believed to have facilitated the illegal entry of over 500 people with no right to be in the UK.
Their alleged money-grabbing scheme is believed to have developed into a wide-scale, dangerous criminal network operating across the country, with the 5 men and 3 women believed to have sent fake documents to beneficiaries to evade detection from law enforcement.
The gang, who largely targeted Gambian nationals, are also suspected of re-using the fraudulent documents for different imposters hoping to make it to the UK illegally, with an ongoing investigation revealing a substantial quantity of images of passports found on the main suspect’s mobile phone.
From booking flights to housing the migrants on arrival and providing them with illegal work, the gang provided a full service and charged around £5,000 per person.
This particular gang, like many others, is believed to be charging substantial fees for arranging illegal entry to the UK, with the main suspect believed to have a turnover of over £1.3m in his bank account despite claiming to only earn £35,000 a year working for a furniture manufacturing company.
Another suspect is believed to have a turnover of over £1m across two bank accounts whilst simultaneously receiving Universal Credit. A further investigation will be launched in order to recover the profits made by this suspected organised criminal gang.
At the various addresses visited, officers seized several counterfeit identity documents which are believed to have been used in this criminal scheme.
These arrests form part of this government’s Plan for Change to strengthen the UK’s border security, which is already delivering results, with almost 30,000 people with no right to be here returned since the election and a turbocharge in immigration enforcement activity across the country which has led to a 51% increase in the number of illegal working arrests.
Organised criminal gangs who are driven by profit often go to extreme lengths to make their cash, disregarding the safety of humans. The suspects in this case are believed to have been exploiting those they promised to help by forcing them to work in private homes under their control, leaving the survivors trapped in unsafe situations and exhausted for little or no pay.
Minister for Border Security and Asylum, Dame Angela Eagle said: “This operation is a clear display that we will not stand by and let evil criminal gangs abuse our immigration system.
“This suspected gang promised their beneficiaries a better life here in the UK. Instead, they face heinous levels of exploitation which is exactly why we are working with law enforcement to ensure survivors of modern slavery are supported and the criminal gangs face justice.
“Our Border Security Command has £280m of additional funding over the next 4 years to deliver the step-change required to break their business models and deliver our Plan for Change to restore order to the immigration system.
Ben Ryan, Chief Operating Officer at Medaille Trust, said: “Medaille Trust is delighted to have collaborated on this operation and to have played a part in ensuring that victims were identified and supported to begin their recovery as survivors.
“We believe that collaborative efforts like this between the Home Office and civil society provide a model for confronting the evils of modern slavery; with a focus on both pursuing abusers and recognising and supporting survivors.”
Border Force and other law enforcement agencies are working around the clock to strengthen UK border security, and intercept and prevent criminal activity. pic.twitter.com/NffbcRQwey
The Home Office’s Criminal Financial Investigations team works closely with charities like Medaille Trust to support the victims of organised crime by keeping them at the heart of any investigation, providing invaluable expertise and support to the most vulnerable.
Through closer collaboration we are able to identify victims and offer them a safe haven to come forward about the abuse they have faced. Medaille Trust provide refuge and freedom from modern slavery and are one of the largest providers of supported safe house beds for victims of modern slavery in the UK.
Cracking down on abuse of the immigration system is central to securing the UK’s borders. As set out in the Immigration White Paper in May, the UK government will introduce tighter controls, restrictions, and scrutiny of those who attempt to abuse and misuse the immigration system.
This includes strengthening border security by rolling out digital identity for all overseas citizens through the implementation of eVisas and new systems for checking visa compliance.
Police Scotland led a multi-agency day of action in Kirkcaldy in relation to an ongoing human trafficking and modern slavery investigation.
One male aged 18 was arrested for human trafficking and modern slavery offences and has been released pending further enquiry.
A 52-year-old woman and a 46-year-old man were arrested for immigration offences and enquiries are ongoing.
Officers visited a business in the area on the morning of Thursday, 10 October, 2024, following intelligence received.
Representatives from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), the Gangmasters and Labour Exploitation Authority (GLAA) and Justice and Care were also in attendance.
Detective Inspector Scott Wilson from Dumfries CID said: “Human trafficking and modern slavery are happening in our communities and this operation demonstrates our commitment to tackling this issue.
“We work closely with our partners to identify situations where this criminality is taking place and provide appropriate support to victims. However we cannot do this alone, and it is important that we increase awareness of the warning signs so that reporting can increase.
“Signs that someone could be being exploited at work can include being paid no legal wage and having little or no money, living in poor conditions and having their time on and off duty controlled by their employers.
“If you suspect modern slavery is happening in your community it is vital that you report this and enable us to protect victims and take action against those responsible for this exploitation.”
Anyone with information can contact Police Scotland on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
A woman and man have been convicted of human trafficking offences in Dundee, Aberdeen, Inverness and Edinburgh.
Mananchaya Wanitthanawet, 40 and Cameron Wilson, 30, were convicted at the High Court in Dundee on Thursday, 22 August, 2024.
They are due to be sentenced at a later date.
The offences took place between November, 2019 and December, 2020.
Detective Inspector Simon Murray said: “Human trafficking has no place in Scotland.
“We will continue target criminals who abuse, control and exploit people, working with partners nationally and internationally to bring offenders to justice, and to raise public awareness to help identify victims and ensure they get the support they need.
“People within local communities are often the first to spot when someone may be trafficked or is being exploited.
“If you have concerns, or information, please report this to us on 101 or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 so we can investigate and take action.”
Sat 14 October – organised by Broughton High School
Tragically the buying and selling of humans still takes place in our world; in our city. Over 50 million people are modern day slaves; 126,000 in the UK.
The ‘Walk for Freedom’ is a silent protest walk to raise awareness of human trafficking and it takes place in Edinburgh on Saturday the 14th October 2 -3.30pm.
It is being organised by local school students from Broughton High School.
The starting point is St John’s Episcopal Church, bottom of Lothian Road. Please register below and wear black on the day.
Raising awareness of Human Trafficking by taking part in a Walk for Freedom.
Take local action on Saturday 14th October in Edinburgh. 2 -3.30pm.
Be part of a global solution.
Human Trafficking is the abuse of children, women, and men for their bodies and labour. It’s modern-day slavery. Worldwide the figure is 50 million. This isn’t an international problem. There are people trafficked in Scotland, in Edinburgh. The commonly accepted figure for the UK is around 136,000 people although this is thought to be a conservative estimate.
On Saturday, October 14, 2023, thousands of people will hit the streets in hundreds of cities across the globe to walk in a single file line–holding posters and handing out flyers–to reach their city and raise awareness about human trafficking and how to end it. Not only this, but educating leaders, neighbours, and friends, empowering them to recognise human trafficking and report it.
Please come to join us in Edinburgh on Saturday 14th October from 2pm -3.30pm. Starting point St John’s Church – 1A Lothian Road.
We will walk along the Grassmarket, down Mound and back to St John’s.
Kirsty Thomson, organiser and teacher at Broughton High School, said: ‘By walking with us, you are standing in solidarity with survivors, raising your voice for the world we need to see, and creating a path toward lasting change.
“As we walk along Princes’ Street we give a voice to those enslaved – those that have no voice. Without your involvement, your community may remain unaware of the exploitation happening close to home. But you have the power to change that!
“Our message can’t be ignored: Slavery still exists but we will abolish it. Together. Come join us.”
Tragically the buying and selling of humans still takes place in our world; in our city. Over 50 million people are modern day slaves; 126,000 in the UK. The ‘Walk for Freedom’ is a silent protest walk to raise awareness of human trafficking and it takes place in Edinburgh on Saturday the 14th October 2pm-3pm. It is being organised by local school students from Broughton High School.
The starting point is St John’s Episcopal Church, bottom of Lothian Road. Please register below and wear black on the day.
Four people were jailed for trafficking offences at the High Court in Glasgow yesterday.
Jagpal Singh (52) was sentenced to 10 years, Donglin Zhang (48) was sentenced to 8 years, Vlassis Ntaoulias (33) was sentenced to 7 years and Boonsong Wannas (62) was sentenced to six years and four months.
All four were previously convicted of human trafficking and brothel keeping offences.
Detective Superintendent Donna Duffy, in charge of Glasgow’s Human Trafficking Unit said: “I welcome the sentencing today. Human trafficking is a despicable crime that has an unmeasurable long term impact on its victims.
“We are committed to working alongside partners to tackle human trafficking and we will work to identify those responsible and protect their victims.
“I would like to thank all our partners including Home Office Immigration Enforcement Criminal and Financial Investigations.
“I would continue to encourage members of the community to contact us if they have any concerns as they are vital to helping us identify those involved.”
Businesses across Scotland, here and now, are directly, or indirectly, involved in the exploitation of workers. Labour exploitation is a very serious criminal offence. Victims suffer psychologically, physically, emotionally and financially.
Labour exploitation takes many forms. Wages are deducted at source for obscure or unjustifiable reasons. People are forced – through threats, intimidation and violence – to work long hours with few or no breaks. Workers’ ability to move between employers is restricted or completely controlled. They are forced to work without appropriate equipment in potentially dangerous situations. Employment rules are ignored, rules that other legitimate businesses have to follow by law.
Business owners, managers, employees – and the wider public – all have a role to play in reducing, and ultimately ending, labour exploitation. The information here is designed to give you the tools to identify and act upon the signs of exploitation and abuse in the workplace.
Labour exploitation occurs in many different industries, in every part of the country. But sectors regarded as being particularly at risk include farming, fishing, food processing, packaging and fulfilment. Police Scotland saw a 135% increase in labour exploitation case referrals in 2019.
Victims of exploitation can be Scottish nationals or workers from elsewhere in the UK and other countries. Research suggests that labour exploitation is a significantly under-reported crime.
Labour exploitation is a form of modern slavery. The primary motivation of offenders is financial gain, regardless of the human cost to victims.
Any business can be affected, although those with high ongoing or seasonal labour needs will always be at higher risk. It’s the responsibility of owners, managers and employees to make sure their business does not become involved in labour exploitation, either intentionally or through poor practice.
Ending workplace exploitation isn’t just the responsibility of business owners and employees. We ask you to play your part by:
Staying alert
Learning to recognise the signs of exploitation and abuse
An intelligence led operation saw officers from Greater Glasgow Human Trafficking Unit execute three search warrants in Glasgow, along with a search warrant executed in Edinburgh on Monday (15 February 2021).
Detective Inspector Mark McLennan of Greater Glasgow CID said: “Officers carried out search warrants at addresses in Denniston, Maryhill and Thornliebank in Glasgow and the Canongate area of Edinburgh.
“A 28-year-old woman and two men aged 32 and 45 were arrested in Glasgow and charged in connection with human trafficking and sexual exploitation. All three were expected to appear at Glasgow Sheriff Court yesterday. A 31-year-old man was also reported to the Procurator Fiscal.
“We worked closely with Edinburgh City, National Human Trafficking Unit and Home Office Immigration Enforcement Crime and Financial Investigation Scotland as part of this operation.”
British Embassy Warsaw is taking part in a campaign aimed at informing about the risks of becoming a victim of modern slavery:
British Embassy Warsaw, together with local partners in Poland (Ministry of Interior and Administration, Police, Border Guard and other NGOs), as well as with the support of some of the biggest local job advertising sites, has prepared a campaign aimed at informing about the risks of becoming the victim of modern slavery.
The campaign is focused on the issue of forced labour.
With the increasing uncertainty of the labour market, caused by the current pandemic, and with potentially more people seeking quick employment, there is a risk that this situation will be taken advantage of by criminal groups recruiting people for forced labour.
This risk is particularly relevant in the situation of those seeking employment abroad.
Our campaign informs how to safely look for employment, how to avoid being taken advantage of, and who to contact if you need help.
