Poland’s National Prosecutor’s Office has announced the dismantling of an organized criminal group whose members are suspected of human trafficking. On March 10, three Georgian citizens and six Polish citizens were detained.
In total, they face 19 charges, including participation in an organized criminal group, human trafficking and facilitating the illegal stay of foreigners in Poland.
According to investigators, the suspects recruited foreigners both within the country and abroad, then helped them remain in Poland and find work. Workers were misled about working hours, labor conditions and the scope of medical insurance they were entitled to. Foreign nationals had their passports and other documents confiscated and were deprived of wages. Due to lack of funds, documents and poor knowledge of the language, they were unable to change jobs or return to their home countries.
“Among those affected were citizens of Azerbaijan, Georgia, India, Ukraine and Belarus. At the time of the investigation, about 150 people were employed in the organization,” prosecutors said.
The investigation is ongoing under the supervision of the Silesian branch of the Department for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption of the National Prosecutor’s Office in Katowice.
At the request of prosecutors, the court ordered the pre-trial detention of two suspects. Preventive measures not involving detention were applied to the other seven individuals, including police supervision, the suspension of one border guard officer and bail ranging from 2,000 to 500,000 zlotys. During searches, more than 400,000 zlotys in cash were seized from the suspects.
