Two brothers from Morocco faced charges for their involvement in human trafficking within the wine industry.
The older brother has been given a two-year suspended prison sentence and ordered to pay a fine of €30,000. He is now forbidden from opening bank accounts in France and will be required to leave the country for a period of five years once his sentence concludes. The court’s judgment resulted in the seizure of his car and accounts. while the younger brother was released.
The Langon-Toulenne gendarmerie apprehended the two brothers for their involvement in a human trafficking operation that focused on recruiting labor from Morocco to work in the vineyards of Gironde.
The human trafficking network was exposed in Fargues, near Langon, thanks to an anonymous tip-off sent to the gendarmerie’s messaging service in late April 2023.
Subsequent investigations conducted by the Langon-Toulenne brigade revealed a well-organized network operated by the two Moroccan brothers.
The older brother, residing in Langon, played a central role in orchestrating the operations, frequently traveling to Morocco to scout for potential workers.
Most of the recruits were sourced through the older brother’s childhood friends, who enticed them with the promise of an ideal life in France, including accommodation, a company car, and a monthly salary of €1,600 for working in the vineyards.
To enter France, the candidates were coerced into paying a substantial sum, ranging from €6,000 to €8,000, under the pretense of obtaining necessary documentation for their stay.
They found themselves crammed into an unhygienic house in Fargues-de-Langon, lacking basic amenities like water and electricity. When authorities intervened they witnessed the appalling conditions and uncovered the methods employed by the two brothers.
The victims had no employment contracts and received meager wages. While the older brother signed contracts with vineyards in the southern region of Gironde and collected payments for their labor, he paid the workers next to nothing.
The investigation further revealed that in 2022, the scammer accumulated approximately €80,000 in his account while providing only around €14,000 in wages to his so-called associates. In the older brother’s absence, the younger one took charge of the illegal operation during his trips to Morocco.
add your comment
Terms of publication : Not to offend the writer, people, sacred things, or attack religions or the divine self, and refrain from racist incitement and insults.