Overview

• Seven suspects — six men and one woman aged 28 to 50, all Moroccan — were detained on allegations including organized crime, human trafficking, illegal detention, labor-rights violations and money laundering.
• About 45 exploited workers were identified, including three minors aged 12, 15 and 17, who were found in overcrowded rooms, some locked with padlocks, sleeping on floor mattresses.
• Victims worked long days without contracts, received cash payments as low as €1 per kilo of piparra, and were charged €150 for a shared room or €50 for a mattress, creating total dependency on the network.
• Raids on 10 sites — five homes and five industrial warehouses — yielded €22,000 in cash, €2,500 in jewelry, two immobilized vehicles, abundant documents under review, and six bank accounts blocked, with one company’s activity suspended.
• The detainees were brought before a judge and are currently free pending further proceedings, while investigators analyze seized records and examine possible employer involvement and links beyond La Rioja.