Forty-three people suspected of belonging to a network exploiting mainly Moroccan immigrant workers, to whom they sold fake employment contracts at exorbitant prices, were arrested in southern Spain, police announced on Thursday (January 5th). .
The victims "
were mainly Moroccan citizens
", the people arrested being "
of different nationalities
", indicated the Spanish police, without specifying which ones.
According to the statement, the arrests took place in the province of Malaga, Andalusia.
3000 euros of fake contracts
At least seven agricultural companies were in the scheme to "
make illegal work
" these migrants, who were "
housed in inhumane conditions in houses belonging to the organization
".
The traffickers sold up to 3,000 euros in fake employment contracts which were supposed to allow migrants to regularize their situation.
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Spain is one of the main gateways for African immigration to Europe.
In 2022, illegal immigration fell by 25.6% compared to the previous year, with 31,219 arrivals against 41,945 in 2021, according to figures published on Tuesday by the Ministry of the Interior.
“
Migrant workers run a greater risk of finding themselves in a situation of forced labor than other workers
,” said the International Labor Organization (ILO) in a report published in September.
Moroccans represent the numerically largest foreign community in Spain with nearly 800,000 people, followed by Romanians, British and Colombians, according to June 2022 figures from the National Institute of Statistics (INE).