Spanish authorities have rescued 52 Romanians held in inhumane conditions on a plantation in Spain by their compatriots who were treating them like slaves, reports Digi 24 TV.
The workers were brought from Romania with promises of high wages and excellent conditions, but were subjected to abuse and forced to sleep in miserable shacks in Andalusia, where oranges and other fruits are grown.
Lureated by impressive advertisements on social networks, the deceived workers were deprived of their personal documents upon arrival in Spain. They were housed in shacks described by Spanish police as veritable dens of misery and ended up receiving low wages because they were withheld from their accommodation and transport, which according to the advertisements were free.
The leaders of the scheme did not hesitate to threaten with violence those who dared to complain. The atmosphere of terror kept the workers in constant fear and they did not dare to seek help.
The Spanish police intervened after one of the workers called the police to report it.
The Spanish police operation resulted in the arrest of six Romanians identified as the leaders of the exploitation network and the release of all 52 workers found in several shacks.