Northern Ireland Update: Man arrested in major human trafficking probe

Written by Linda Digby 30 Jul 2015
Northern Ireland Update: Man arrested in major human trafficking probe

An arrest followed the ‘rescue’ of five human trafficking victims in Belfast last week (see last week’s Prayer-Alert). A man was detained in the city and is being quizzed by specialist detectives about human trafficking, labour exploitation, gangmaster offences, and money laundering. Detectives from the Police Service of Northern Ireland's (PSNI) Human Trafficking Unit worked with colleagues in HM Revenue and Customs, the Gangmasters Licensing Authority, the Health and Safety Executive and local PSNI officers to carry out the rescue operation. Sixteen other men and women aged between 18 and 45, believed to have been trafficked from eastern Europe, were also rescued from agricultural premises in south Armagh during a separate raid. The victims are being cared for by Migrant Help and Women's Aid as part of the Department of Justice's human trafficking support network.

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