Two Lithuanian men were each jailed for three years and six months on Friday [15 January] for their part in trafficking two men and forcing them to work.

Konstantin Sasmurin and Linus Ratautas were found guilty at the Kings Lynn Crown Court of trafficking the two men, also from Lithuania, into the UK for the purposes of labour exploitation, according to a Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) statement. 

They were also found guilty of money laundering, as well as being issued with a Slavery and Trafficking Prevention Order (STPO) for labour exploitation. 

GLA senior investigating officer Dave Powell said the victims were “preyed upon and exploited by perpetrators who showed not a care for their welfare and were driven solely by financial greed”.

They had been transported to Great Yarmouth from Lithuania by minibus in July 2013 with the promise of work, accommodation and food. 

But the accommodation was in poor condition with mouldy walls and no beds. The men were given only small amounts of food each week, which would often run out and leave them hungry for days.

After two weeks, Sasmurin and Ratautas took the victims to a food processing factory in Suffolk for work. 

The victims were told to put false address details on the application forms and to include Sasmurin’s contact details as their own. He also made them give his bank details for wage payments under the understanding the money would be passed on to the victims, which never happened. 

After four weeks, worked stopped and they were taken to another factory, also in Suffolk. This time the victims were made to give Ratautas’ details. 

The victims received a total of £20 – between them – for all their work from July to October 2013. They were told they owed money for accommodation, transport, electricity, taxes and interest. 

Their plight was discovered during GLA enquiries, which referred them both into the National Referral Mechanism, a framework for identifying and helping victims of human trafficking or modern slavery.

When rescued, they were wearing the same clothes they had worn for the previous four months. They said they feared being “fed to the crabs” should they tell anyone about their situation. 

A joint investigation between Norfolk Constabulary, Suffolk Constabulary and the GLA resulted in the arrest of Sasmurin and Ratautas on 2 April 2014.

The GLA says this is the first STPO issued for labour exploitation since the orders were introduced as part of the Modern Slavery Act 2015. The Act allows the orders to be issued when a judge considers there is significant risk the defendants will re-offend.

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