Spanish police have arrested a bakery owner in the Spanish enclave of Melilla on suspicion of human trafficking and labor exploitation involving Moroccan nationals, authorities said.
The arrest followed a joint operation by Spain’s Interior Ministry and the Labour and Social Security Inspectorate as part of efforts to combat undeclared work and social security fraud.
Officers from Melilla’s police unit specializing in migrant smuggling and document fraud raided a bakery where they found two Moroccan workers employed without contracts, social security registration or legal residency permits.
Investigators said the men were subjected to long term exploitation. One Moroccan worker had been employed illegally for 16 years and the other for seven, working more than 11 hours a day from early morning without rest days, weekends or holidays, earning between 400 and 500 euros per month.
One of the workers was housed inside the bakery in unsafe conditions lacking basic facilities. Both were denied health coverage and paid medical costs themselves.
The suspect was placed under judicial supervision, banned from leaving Spain and had his passport seized. Authorities formally recognized the two Moroccans as victims of human trafficking and activated protection protocols.
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