Gang members jailed for trafficking and McDonald's labour exploitation

Members of a gang who trafficked 12 people from eastern Europe and forced them to work long hours while stealing their wages have been jailed.

Zdenek Drevenak, 47, his partner Monika Daducova, 44, Jiri Cernohous, 49, and Martin Slovjak, 46, all from the Czech Republic, acted together to lure 10 men and two women to the UK on the promise of well-paid jobs and a better quality of life.

The victims, who spoke little or no English, were forced to work in various roles at a bakery factory in Hoddesdon, a car wash, a McDonald’s restaurant, as well as carry out domestic household tidying and cleaning.

The work was often physically demanding, and several victims had exhausting routines of making a three-hour round trip by bicycle for every eight, 10 or 12-hour shift at the bakery factory.

One woman was made to work as a prostitute, firstly in a brothel and then on the streets where Drevenak would occasionally monitor her from his car.

The wages earned were routinely withheld from the victims aside from the occasional release of a derisory sum, which helped to support the false promise that money would eventually be paid in full.

The vulnerable victims, from the Czech Republic and Slovakia, were often selected from poor or rural backgrounds with a view to being exploited.

After arranging their travel to the UK, the victims were housed at an address in Enfield, north London, where the rent was paid by housing benefit.

The accommodation was substandard and ranged from cramped conditions inside the house to wholly inappropriate living quarters in an outbuilding.

Victims also saw their passports and identity documents confiscated and retained in a safe, which they had no access to.

With no money to find other accommodation in the UK, and fear of what the gang might do if they tried to escape, their options to leave or return home were severely limited.

When police searched the Enfield house in October 2019, they discovered a number of CCTV cameras inside and outside the property.

Drevenak, Daducova, Cernohous, and Slovjak were all found guilty of trafficking and modern slavery offences at Southwark Crown Court on 24 May.

Today at the same court, Drevenak was jailed for 13 years, Cernohous was jailed for nine years while Slovjak received four years' imprisonment. Daducova will be sentenced on a date to be fixed.

The prosecution followed an investigation by the Metropolitan Police.

Kate Mulholland, Specialist Prosecutor in the London South Complex Casework Unit, said: “The victims were controlled and manipulated by Drevenak, Daducova, Cernohous, and Slovjak in the most despicable way.

“They used a variety of methods, both physical and psychological, to coerce, deceive and exploit the 12 men and women, who spoke little or no English and had their passports and identity documents removed on arrival.

“The vulnerable victims may not have been under lock and key, but their ability to escape was undermined by the various methods of control – and as a result they remained trapped in ‘invisible handcuffs’.

“This was a shocking case of exploitation, and each member of the gang played their part in making it possible.”

Proving the case

During the 15-week trial, the prosecution was able to prove that Drevenak, Daducova, Cernohous and Slovjak had conspired together to manipulate and control the vulnerable men and women.

The gang held power over the men and women by the circumstances they had created, for example, they completed employment contracts for the victims, and funnelled wages to their own bank accounts.

The prosecution proved that each member of the gang knew what was happening and that each intended for the victims to be exploited.

Lynette Woodrow, Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor and national modern slavery lead, said: “This was a complex case, and I would like to pay tribute to the prosecution team for their diligent work.

“These verdicts have secured justice for the victims, and this case demonstrates the hidden harm that is caused by labour exploitation.

“Modern slavery offences are incredibly serious and can have a profound effect on the lives of victims.

“The CPS is determined to tackle modern slavery and we will continue to work hard alongside our partners to bring callous offenders, such as Drevenak, Daducova, Cernohous and Slovjak, to justice.”