Operation "Free Hands" dismantles Portuguese-Spanish human trafficking network with five arrested
PJ and Guardia Civil arrested five suspects in Portugal and Spain for labour exploitation of two men over decades. Two properties and bank balances were seized.
Family network recruited vulnerable people in Portugal for agricultural exploitation in Spain
The Judicial Police (PJ) and Spanish Guardia Civil dismantled a family human trafficking network dedicated to labour exploitation, resulting in five arrests divided between the two countries. According to observador.pt, the operation, named "Free Hands", also resulted in the rescue of two men who lived under the control of the suspects for 30 and 15 years respectively.
The arrests took place on 23 and 29 June. Three suspects were arrested in Spain, under European arrest warrants issued by the Coimbra Court in coordination with EUROJUST, and two were arrested in Portugal. Those arrested in Spanish territory are between 32 and 35 years old and were presented to the Audiencia Nacional in Madrid for extradition proceedings to Portugal. The two arrested in Portugal, aged 54 and 56, are still awaiting presentation to court for the application of precautionary measures — one of them has a criminal record for crimes of the same nature.
The operation was conducted in two phases in the Burgos area in Spain. The first phase took place in March 2025, when the two victims were released. The PJ emphasised, in a statement released Monday, that the older victim "was even traded between members of the group, as if it were a commodity".
The group operated in a coordinated manner for several years: it recruited fragile people in Portugal with economic hardship and in processes of social exclusion, and intermediated the provision of this labour to Spanish employers for unskilled agricultural work. The victims were kept "under constant coercion", in "deplorable living and food conditions", whilst the suspects retained possession of almost all the wages earned.
To hinder detection by the authorities, the network registered the victims with Spanish social security services, drew up employment contracts in their names, opened bank accounts and registered vehicles in the names of the victims themselves. This scheme also allowed the exploiters to access social benefits in addition to wages.
In the proceedings carried out in Spain, accompanied by PJ officers, additional evidence was gathered, including various documentation. Bank balances and two properties were also seized.
Source: Google News PT — Crime (pt)