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In Monza, in the late afternoon of November 16, the Brescia Radiomobile carabinieri arrested three Romanians – 50, 26 and 24 years old respectively – accused in concert of having subjected workers, including minors, to conditions of exploitation. taking advantage of their state of need, since they all come from poor regions of Romania.
The arrest of the three men by the military represented only the conclusive phase of a lengthy investigation: within an illegally occupied agricultural land, in the Usmate Velate industrial estate (Mb), the three criminals were illegally carrying out a collection, disposal and reselling “pallets”, making use of irregular labor.
The investigation originated from the complaint of two young Romanian workers, one of them a minor, recruited in the country of origin and forced to work incessantly without pay, under threats and physical violence. The two, exasperated by the poor conditions in which they had been living for months, fled in July 2020 in search of help and – a month later – went to the carabinieri barracks in Piazza Brusato in Brescia, also thanks to the support it gave them. a compatriot.
Subsequent inquiries made it possible to identify all the subjects involved in the illicit activities: the three detainees could count on a real network of contacts, which guaranteed protection and adequate shelters for the poor compatriots who had to face the “path of hope” to arrive in Italy.
The mode of exploitation
The workers were forced to accept salaries completely disproportionate to the quantity and quality of the work performed, also in consideration of the time imposed, which did not contemplate answers or permits but only a brief rest that was granted for the consumption of food.
To find out what emerged from the investigations, from early Monday the Brescia police carried out a long search within the production area and in the Usmate Velate industrial zone, during which it was also possible to verify the poor hygienic conditions. -health in which 13 Romanian men and women were forced to work, all very young and 4 of them minors, in addition to the degrading psychophysical conditions in which they found themselves, constantly monitored, monitored and sometimes victims of threats and physical violence. Thanks to the intervention of the weapon, they were finally released and the minors were entrusted to family members or social services.
Administrative offenses against the three operators were found for a total amount of 163,650 euros: the entire production area was seized by the investigators. The detainees were transferred to the Monza prison, where they must respond concurrently for the multi-tax crime of “illegal mediation and labor exploitation.”
