REUTERS
Law enforcers want to question more than 80 foreign workers, mostly from non-EU Eastern European countries such as Ukraine and Belarus.
German police searched over 40 homes and businesses in five German states early on Wednesday, September 23, as part of an investigation into foreign workers being illegally brought to the country to be exploited in the meatpacking industry.
That is according to the Ukrainian media outlet European Pravda, referring to a report by Reuters.
More than 80 interrogations
According to a spokesperson for federal police, law enforcers want to question more than 80 foreign workers, mostly from non-EU Eastern European countries such as Ukraine and Belarus.
Read alsoUnemployment in Ukraine grows by 67% since coronavirus outbreak
This year, Germany's meatpacking sector has been criticized for the widespread use of migrant workers from Eastern Europe, as cramped accommodation and poor oversight were suspected of accelerating coronavirus outbreaks.
Suspects
Ten key suspects aged 41 to 56 are currently under investigation, namely eight men and two women. They are accused of criminal and commercial smuggling and forgery of documents. Police seized assets worth EUR 1.5 million during the searches.
The companies are accused of bringing workers to Germany with forged documents. They organized accommodation and transportation for migrants in return for part of their wages.
Illegal entry into EU countries
During the quarantine period, Ukrainians reportedly found new ways to circumvent EU travel bans.