Scandal in Spain: Dismantling of a network exploiting Moroccan workers

Spanish authorities have recently dismantled a criminal network involved in the exploitation of Moroccan workers in the agricultural sector. This case highlights the abusive and illegal practices that persist in some regions of the country, particularly in Mallorca.

Two Spanish businessmen have been arrested on suspicion of human trafficking, exploitation of workers and encouraging irregular immigration. These individuals ran an agricultural business in Mallorca, using its structure as a front for their illicit activities.

According to investigators, the victims, mainly of Moroccan origin, were forced to pay between 15,000 and 22,000 euros to obtain a work contract that would allow them to enter Spain legally. Once there, they found themselves trapped in a cycle of exploitation and debt.

The investigation, carried out by the Balearic Islands’ immigration and border police unit, lasted more than three months and revealed that the profits generated by this trafficking were shared between the two businessmen and a third accomplice responsible for recruiting the workers in their country of origin.

The extent of the network and its methods

Authorities estimate that dozens of people were victims of this network. In addition to exploiting agricultural workers, the suspects also offered fictitious employment contracts to foreigners wishing to regularize their situation in Spain, for sums ranging from 6,000 to 8,000 euros.

In total, 26 people were said to have obtained legal papers through this company. However, due to accumulated debts and the fear of losing their legal status, these workers were forced to accept abusive working conditions that were contrary to collective agreements.

The Central Unit for Immigration and Document Fraud Networks (UCRIF) is continuing its investigation, not ruling out the possibility of further arrests. This case is part of a broader context of concerns about the working conditions of migrants in the Spanish agricultural sector.

Last August, the news website “elDiario” had already published an investigation into a group of companies partly owned by the secretary general of the Vox party in the Balearic Islands. The employees denounced excessively long working hours, overcrowded and unsanitary housing, for which they had to pay 80 euros per month.

Workers reported working days of up to 17 hours, well beyond the 12-hour standard usually practiced in the agricultural sector. They also claimed not to be properly paid for their overtime and to have been misled about housing conditions before arriving in Mallorca.

The case is reminiscent of a report published in June 2024 by the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA). The document denounced the deplorable living and working conditions of migrant seasonal workers in the strawberry fields of Huelva, in southern Spain.

The report noted the existence of 25 informal camps housing more than 900 migrants, including about 100 women, living in precarious conditions without access to clean water, electricity or sanitation. The experts noted that the only support these workers received came from a small centre run by charities, whose long-term funding was under threat.

These revelations raise important questions about the protection of migrant workers’ rights in Spain and across Europe. They highlight the need for increased monitoring and stricter measures to prevent exploitation and ensure decent working conditions in the agricultural sector.

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