The investigation, known as Operation Naturke, began in January in collaboration with the Labor Inspectorate. It was discovered that the entrepreneur demanded between 6,000 and 8,000 euros from the victims in exchange for providing them with registration and an employment contract, essential documents for their regularization in Spain.
UCRIF agents verified that the workers endured exhausting workdays without weekly rest. Control over them was constant, even through surveillance cameras that monitored their every move. Furthermore, they received salaries well below the legal minimum and were subjected to “continuous insults and threats,” which kept them silent for fear of expulsion.
The fear of expulsion kept these men silent, accepting treatment that violates basic dignity.
The scheme also involved social security fraud and the use of “ghost homes.” The investigated individual had 34 foreign citizens registered in four properties he owned or rented, although most did not actually reside there. This system aimed to simulate the necessary roots for immigration procedures. Additionally, it was found that some citizens with papers were registered with Social Security without working, while irregular immigrants performed the hard labor without legal protection.
Operation Naturke is still ongoing, and further actions are not ruled out. Authorities are analyzing all documentation seized during the four searches conducted in the kebab-type establishments affected by this exploitation network.
