Unlicensed gangmaster in Northern Ireland fined

A man who illegally supplied workers to a food manufacturing company in Ballymena, Northern Ireland has been fined. 

Catalin Andrei Tabacaru, 40, of Ballymena in County Antrim, initially pleaded not guilty to the charge of acting as an unlicensed gangmaster at Antrim Crown Court but after a further court appearance in November 2023 he changed his plea to one of guilty.

He appeared at the same court on 23 January 2024 where he was fined £8,000.

Following reports made to the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) in September 2021 enquiries revealed that a number of Romanian workers were being brought in to work in the food processing sector. Further enquiries found that Tabacaru, the owner of Andy’s Recruitment Agency, had been supplying workers without a GLAA licence.

Tabacaru told the company that he held a GLAA licence and began supplying workers in the full knowledge that he required a licence to do so.

GLAA Senior Enforcement Investigator Mark Arlow said “Anyone supplying workers into the GLAA regulated sectors of agriculture, horticulture, shellfish gathering and associated processing and packaging must have a GLAA licence.

“We are committed to taking action against unlicensed gangmasters who ignore our regulations. We would also remind labour users to ensure they do their due diligence before entering into arrangements with unlicensed gangmasters and falling the wrong side of the law”.

Acting as a gangmaster without a GLAA licence is a criminal offence carrying a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and an unlimited fine. 

It is also an offence to use labour provided by unlicensed gangmasters. This offence carries a maximum penalty of six months in prison and a fine. You can check if a labour provider has a GLAA licence via our public register.

Anyone with information about unlicensed gangmasters operating in the regulated sectors should contact the GLAA by emailing intelligence@gla.gov.uk or by using the online reporting form.