A Czech family was sentenced for human trafficking in Lithuanian seaside attractions

The Klaipėda District Court passed a guilty verdict in which a family of citizens of the Czech Republic was convicted of human trafficking. By court decision, 46 years old. for a man, 42 years old to his wife and 22 y.o. the son was sentenced to life imprisonment

According to the case, the family members sought financial benefits by acting in a group of accomplices, therefore they fraudulently recruited three men, promising them well-paid work in attractions owned by convicts on the Lithuanian coast. The victims were also assured that their accommodation and food would be taken care of, and other social guarantees were promised. The totality of the collected data revealed that the men who became victims were brought to Lithuania in a truck trailer in June 2019 and were held captive and exploited in slavery conditions for three months.

The defendants took advantage of the fact that the men who trusted the promises did not speak a foreign language, had no money and did not know the local laws. The victims had no social guarantees, worked long hours, no days off, and were not paid. The workers lived in unsanitary conditions, in small rooms that were locked at night. It was established that the family of Czech citizens was constantly violent against the men, intimidated them, and their passports were confiscated.

According to the announced court verdict, all three family members were found guilty of human trafficking. The court sentenced the Czech citizen to 6 years in prison, his wife to 4 years and 3 months, and the young man to 2 years in prison. The court partially satisfied the civil claim of the victims and awarded a total of 18 thousand from the convicts. euros.

Prosecutor Ruslanas Ušinskas of the Organized Crime and Corruption Investigation Department of the Klaipėda District Prosecutor’s Office organized the pre-trial investigation and supported the state prosecution in court. The investigation was carried out by the officers of the Organized Crime Investigation Board of the Klaipėda County Chief Police Commissariat of the Criminal Police.