Criminal suspicions | The authorities suspect: Thai berry pickers have become victims of human trafficking

Central Criminal Police (krp), the Helsinki Police Department and the Border Guard are investigating the case, which is investigating suspected human trafficking linked to a Finnish berry procurement company. The police informs about it in a press release.

The authorities suspect that Thai berry pickers working in Finland have become victims of human trafficking in 2020–2022. The focus of the preliminary investigation is a northern Finnish berry procurement company and a Thai company that recruits berry pickers in Finland.

On Saturday, two people were arrested in the Oulu district court on suspicion of human trafficking, according to the release.

Authorities suspect, based on the preliminary investigation, that the Northern Finn’s berry procurement company has committed human trafficking by, among other things, mistaking, exploiting and forcing Thai berry pickers who came to Finland as seasonal workers to do forced labor.

In the investigation, camps intended for accommodation of berry pickers have been inspected together with several different authorities. Inspections have been carried out throughout Finland.

“The police suspect that the pickers have been in a position of dependence on their employer, which is characteristic of human trafficking, in addition to which they have been housed in poor conditions, among other things,” says the head of the investigation, crime district commissioner Teemu Mäntyniemi from krp.

“According to the authorities’ estimate, there are suspected to be dozens of berry pickers who have fallen victim to suspected human trafficking, many of whom do not necessarily know or recognize that they have fallen victim to human trafficking.”

The preliminary investigation is ongoing, and the police will possibly provide more information as the investigation progresses. In the investigation, there is close cooperation with the Lapland Police Department.