48 of the 51 defendants of an alleged human trafficking network that hired immigrants for agriculture in Alentejo are going to trial in accordance with the recently released instructional decision.
Of the 51 defendants, only three were not charged, according to Agência Lusa. They are accused of the crimes of criminal association and the commission of human trafficking crimes, committed against victims of East Timorese nationality.
The 48 defendants will be tried, “in material co-authorship and effective competition, for committing a crime of criminal association”, says the same source.
Of these, five defendants and one company have been charged with 20 human trafficking crimes, four defendants have been charged with 8 crimes and eight defendants have been charged with seven crimes. 24 defendants will answer for money laundering crimes, five for crimes of possession of a prohibited weapon and one for a crime of drug trafficking.
The facts date back to November 2022, when an operation carried out by the Judiciary Police carried out an operation in the district of Beja, culminating in the arrest of 35 people suspected of being part of a criminal structure dedicated to exploiting the labor of immigrant citizens.
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Tags: Instructive decision takes defendants alleged human trafficking network Alentejo trial
