Lead poisoning death and human trafficking in Tortuguitas industrial park: five arrested
A 20-year-old man died from lead poisoning in the Tortuguitas industrial park; the investigation uncovered a human trafficking network with 14 workers in conditions of servitude.
Five arrested following lead poisoning death and trafficking network in Tortuguitas
According to prensaobrera.com, a complaint filed by a public hospital regarding the death of a 20-year-old man—with 122.8 microgrammes of lead per decilitre of blood, four times the maximum permitted level—triggered the discovery of a human trafficking network in Malvinas Argentinas district.
The Sub-secretariat for Labour Inspection of Buenos Aires Province filed a complaint for human trafficking and reduction to servitude. The case led to the search of two warehouses in the vicinity of the Tortuguitas industrial park, where workers dismantled car and truck batteries, melted lead and other metals for recycling and manufacturing.
The investigation also identified addresses implicated in Tigre, Maschwitz and La Plata. Five people were arrested for the alleged crimes of human trafficking and culpable homicide.
Twenty-three workers were found at the warehouses. Of these, 14 lived on the premises themselves, eating and sleeping in containers exposed to acids and toxic vapours. They worked 12-hour shifts daily in exchange for 480,000 pesos paid fortnightly, paid in cash. Of the fourteen workers in a state of servitude, nine are from Misiones, two from Chaco and three from Buenos Aires.
The victims stated in interviews that the situation has gone on for years and that some colleagues have been under these same conditions for a decade. They also contradicted the authorities, who claimed that the workers are under the care of the National Rescue Coordination (C.N.R.): "We have no assistance and are practically abandoned," they declared. The affected individuals indicated that they also lack medical monitoring or diagnosis concerning their state of health.
The official communication regarding the operation was sparse. Buenos Aires Province announced the procedure via a single tweet, without specifying the name of the deceased victim or the details of those arrested. The statement from the National Ministry of Security followed the same approach. Both agencies omitted direct references to the victims, who for the most part come from other provinces and have no close family members in the metropolitan area.
Source: Google News AR — Buenos Aires