Modern slavery suspect arrested by GLAA at Luton Airport
19th September 2019
A woman has been arrested on suspicion of modern slavery and human trafficking offences after returning to the UK from Romania.
The Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) detained the 51-year-old Romanian national after she landed at London Luton Airport on a flight from Cluj earlier this morning (Thursday 19 September).
She is now in custody being interviewed by GLAA investigators.
The arrests are linked to a previous GLAA investigation in Birmingham this May which saw two Romanian men and a woman questioned on suspicion of modern slavery and human trafficking.
Two workers in the operation were safeguarded and accepted into the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), a government framework for ensuring modern slavery victims receive the help that they need.
GLAA Senior Investigating Officer Andy Davies said: “While protecting vulnerable workers from abuse will always remain our number one priority, disrupting the criminal behaviour which causes this exploitation is also a fundamental part of our work which we take extremely seriously.”
If you suspect someone is at risk of exploitation, contact the GLAA’s intelligence team on 0800 4320804 or email intelligence@gla.gov.uk