The Civil Guard has arrested the alleged leader of an organisation in El Real de la Jara that recruited irregular immigrants to work in the fields and then indebted them. They also defrauded landowners in Seville and Huelva.
The Civil Guard has put an end to a scheme of labour exploitation and fraud operating in the Sierra Norte of Seville. The main accused, an agricultural businessman from El Real de la Jara, was arrested last Wednesday as part of operation BAETIS CISTUS, which has also left three other individuals investigated as necessary collaborators.
The investigation began in January when several foreigners in an irregular situation reported the abusive conditions they were suffering. According to sources from the armed institute, the detainee recruited these individuals by taking advantage of their economic vulnerability and housed them in an industrial warehouse in El Real de la Jara. There, up to 18 workers were crammed into unsanitary conditions, without bathrooms or showers.
From workers to debtors: the machinery of exploitation
The modus operandi was meticulous. The detainee paid in the first few days to gain the trust of the workers, but then systematically stopped paying their wages. In return, he charged them a daily fee for accommodation and transport to the farms, creating a debt that the workers could never settle.
When the victims demanded what was owed, the alleged leader responded with death threats via text messages, even displaying knives and intimidating them with dangerous breed dogs. Agents from the ROCA Team of La Rinconada, responsible for the operation, collected numerous testimonies corroborating these practices.
Fraud against farm owners: the harvest that disappeared
At the same time, the organisation committed fraud against agricultural landowners in Seville and Huelva. The detainee offered great profits for the harvesting of their crops, taking charge of the labour himself. However, once the product was harvested, he sold it directly in oil mills in Badajoz and Huelva, collecting significant sums that he never delivered to the landowners.
The Civil Guard estimates that the economic damage from this route exceeds 30,000 euros, in addition to the improper appropriation of agricultural materials. The investigation is still open, and new victims or arrests are not ruled out.
The detainee has been placed at the disposal of the judiciary as the alleged perpetrator of crimes of human trafficking for the purpose of labour exploitation, against the rights of workers and foreign citizens, continued fraud, threats, and improper appropriation. The other three individuals investigated, who performed supervisory and transport tasks, have also been placed at the disposal of the court.
The operation involved the ROCA Team of the Civil Guard of La Rinconada, the Organic Unit of Judicial Police, and personnel from the Post of El Real de la Jara, with the support of the Provincial Labour and Social Security Inspection of Seville. This collaboration has been key to documenting the illegal working conditions.
For the residents of Sierra Norte, this case highlights a reality that often goes unnoticed: the exploitation of seasonal workers in the Sevillian countryside. Authorities remind that anyone in an irregular situation has the right to report without fear of reprisals, and there are anonymous channels to do so.
The investigation continues, and it is expected that in the coming weeks the criminal responsibilities of all those involved will be determined. Meanwhile, the rescued workers have been put in contact with social services for their reception and regularisation.
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