BIRMINGHAM, U.K. (NBC) – British police said Friday they have broken a modern-day slavery ring involving more than 400 victims.
Eight people were convicted of slavery-related and money laundering charges.
Five men and three women, originally from Poland, recruited poor and vulnerable people also from Poland with false promises of well-paying jobs.
After they arrived in England they ended up being paid less than a dollar for a day’s work and kept in squalid conditions.
They worked on farms, recycling centers and poultry factories.
While victims, who didn’t speak English, were forced to work for almost no wages, their eight masters made $2.5 million and lived in luxury.
In one instance, a man who complained about poor pay and living conditions had his arm broken, was given no medical care, then ejected from the lodgings.
The ages of victims were from teenagers to over 60 years-old.
“They would be very controlling of the victims, they would isolate them from the outside world, they would often tell them that if they stepped outside the house they would get arrested by the police, and get beaten up,” said West Midlands Police Detective Chief Inspector Nick Dale.
The eight people convicted were sentenced to up to eleven years in prison.
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