Eight people have been convicted of charges related to running a modern-day slavery ring in the West Midlands region of England. The charges against the eight, who are natives of Poland, were slavery, trafficking, kidnapping, and money laundering.
The gang recruited its victims in Poland and primarily targeted homeless people, alcoholics, and former convicts. They promised them good pay and safe passage to England, but instead trafficked the victims and forced them to live in squalor, often paying them less than $1 per day. Four hundred people had been living in these conditions across several West Midlands addresses. The age of the people ran from 17-60.
The perpetrators consisted of several members of the notorious Brzezinski crime family. They put their victims to work on farm and waste centers, often housing them with malfunctioning toilets, no hot water, and expired food. The jury heard from more than 90 exploited people who described the living situation as horrendous. One witness said, “I would say some homeless people here in the U.K. live better than I lived after I arrived over here.”
The ring began to fall apart when two people were able to make contact with charity group Hope for Justice, which eventually made contact with 51 residents of the filthy houses. The houses employed “watchers” who typically made sure their “slaves” didn’t raise any suspicion about the squalid conditions.
The kidnappers also made their captives believe they did not have legal right to be in the United Kingdom, meanwhile registering them for national insurance and other government benefits, which were collected by the gang members. The slavers were said to be living quite comfortably with millions of dollars.
The gang consisted of five men and three women. Each of the eight convicted will face up to 11 years in prison for their crimes.
