Traffickers jailed for enslaving men in food processing plants

Two men have been jailed for trafficking two people from Lithuania and forcing them to work in farm produce processing plants for as little as £20 over four months.

Konstantin Sasmurin, 34, and Linus Tatautus, 31, of Caister-on-Sea, Norfolk, were each jailed for three-and-a-half years at King’s Lynn Crown Court.

In a statement, the Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) said the victims had been “preyed upon and exploited” by two men who were “driven solely by financial greed”.

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The court heard they had been transported to Cobholm in Great Yarmouth from Lithuania by minibus in July 2013 with the promise of work, accommodation and food.

But the house was in poor condition with mouldy walls and no beds. The workers were given only small amounts of food each week, which would often run out leaving them hungry for days.

The victims were taken to a vegetable processing factory in Suffolk for work and Mr Sasmurin told them to put false address details on application forms and to include his contact details as their own.

He also made them give his bank details for wage payments under the understanding the money would be passed on to the victims, which never happened.

After four weeks without being paid, the victims were taken to a poultry plant in Suffolk.

Both victims were paid a total of £20 between them for all their work from July to October 2013. They were told they owed money for accommodation, transport, electricity, taxes and interest.

When they were rescued, the victims were wearing the same clothes they had worn for the previous four months.

They told police they had been threatened not to tell anyone about their situation and feared “being fed to the crabs”.

“Those two workers were extremely vulnerable – they were preyed upon and exploited by perpetrators who showed not a care for their welfare and were driven solely by financial greed”
Dave Powell, Gangmasters Licensing Authority

Mr Sasmurin and Mr Tatautas pleaded guilty to trafficking people to the UK for the purpose of labour exploitation and also money laundering offences.

Both men have been referred into the National Referral Mechanism, a framework for identifying and helping victims of human trafficking or modern slavery.

Detective Sergeant Mark Scott, of Norfolk Constabulary, said: “This case is another example that modern-day slavery is real and is happening around us. It must not be tolerated.”

GLA investigating officer Dave Powell said: “Those two workers were extremely vulnerable – they were preyed upon and exploited by perpetrators who showed not a care for their welfare and were driven solely by financial greed.”