State Police in Latvia have detained a person that lured a citizen of the People’s Republic of China with promises of attractive wage to work in a restaurant in Latvia. However, later this person was exploited and stripped of personal identification documents and forced to work without pay, as reported by the police.
This way the Chinese citizen was subjected to human trafficking for about two months. The language barrier prevented the victim from seeking help. Only thanks to a chance communication with an acquaintance on the internet information about this story was passed to an NGO in Latvia, which immediately reported the situation to State Police.
A criminal procedure was commenced. The possible guilty party was detained and made a suspect. The victim was released and provided with all necessary help.
Information acquired during the investigation suggests that in 2020 an owner of a restaurant based in Latgale, a 1978-born man, started looking for an employee from China, promising a job in the restaurant with an attractive wage of EUR 1 500.
A 1995-born man responded to this offer and travelled to Latvia. He was taken to accommodations provided by the restaurant’s owner.
Although a contract was signed and the person started performing his duties in July 2021, the wage was not paid, and in the next two months the person was being exploited. The man’s personal identification documents were taken away and threats were used to force him into slave labour, putting the man in a state of helplessness.
The man subjected to human trafficking and actual slavery was not able to seek help due to the conditions he was put in and the language barrier. A chance online correspondence with an acquaintance of his on 20 September allowed information to be passed to an NGO in Latvia, which immediately reported the information to State Police.
Police commenced a criminal procedure in accordance with Section 154.1 of the Criminal Law and action was taken in cooperation with State Police Main Criminal Police Department Organised Crime Prevention Office in Latgale.
During the investigation police performed multiple court-sanctioned searches at the residence, in the car and restaurant owned by the suspect. Police managed to acquire multiple items of interest for the investigation.
On 6 October 2021 the suspect was detained and the victim was released and provided with all necessary aid, the police report.
The investigation continues. It should be added that the suspect is not a Latvian citizen. This is why active international information exchange continues. The aforementioned crime – human trafficking and slavery – is punishable in Latvia with deprivation of freedom for up to eight years with or without confiscation of property.
Additionally, State Police remind that no one is considered guilty until his or her guilt has been proven in accordance with procedures listed in the law.
State Police remind that to prevent future cases of human trafficking and exploitation, residents with information to report about such causes should report to the police by phone (110) or by e-mail (onap@vp.gov.lv).
Police in Latvia detain restaurant owner for enslaving Chinese citizen
