Two men from Eastern Europe have been jailed 13 and 11 years for human trafficking for the purpose of labour exploitation - the first conviction of its type in the State.
Georgijs Poniza, 37, from Latvia and 30-year-old Armen Pogosyan from Uzbekistan of Armenian nationality were sentenced to a total of 24 years in prison.
They plead guilty to human trafficking, money laundering and forgery offences between December 2020 and October 2023.
Seven victims, including one woman and six men, were recruited by deception in Latvia, promised employment, a good salary, accommodation and "a better life".
Approximately €750,000 in wages was taken from the victims, aged from their 40s to 60s, the Donegal Circuit Court heard.
One victim said he was "treated like a slave and an animal", while another said, "it was like a slave trade".
One of the victim Mariss Lipiens, speaking through an interpreter told media that he was happy with the outcome and urged other victims, to seek help.
"I would like to say thanks to gardaí in Ireland for their support, for serving the law, for helping me and other six victims of this case of human trafficking," he said.
"I'm happy [with] how this case was dealt about the human trafficking and how fair and independent it was served.
"I would ask others to begin checking of their employment papers. If there are other victims who come across similar problems, they need to seek help from gardaí," Mr Lipiens concluded.
Watch: Survivor of human trafficking gives victims impact statement
Judge John Alymer said both Poniza and Pogosyan played a lead role in this enterprise and acted in the expectation of very substantial, financial advantage.
He said there was a high degree of planning, a substantial degree of threat and menace and use of threat against victims and their families at home in Latvia.
He noted the number of victims, the psychological harm they endured and the impact it continues to have on them.
He said serious medical conditions were ignored in relation to victims, noting that one man who escaped suffered an epileptic fit on the day of his escape.
The court heard that both accused took advantage of victims who were vulnerable, living in impoverished conditions and recruited on the promise of a better life in Ireland.
"You provided them with extremely substandard accommodation, completely inadequate winter heating, minimal privacy and no proper bedding," Judge Alymer said.
He said the victims suffered extreme humiliation and they described being treated like property, animals and slaves.
He said once work stopped, victims were left homeless, scavenging in bins for food. He noted the "harrowing victim impact statements".
In respect of Poniza, Judge Alymer noted he entered a late plea of guilty, had no previous conviction and made some admissions on his 12th and 13th interview.
He also noted his personal circumstances, his previous work record and his expression of remorse through counsel.
In respect of Pogosyan, Judge Alymer described him as an "enthusiastic assistant" and noted he entered a late plea of guilty, no previous convictions, had good work engagement prior to offending and was helpful during interviews.
Judge Alymer noted that it did appear that Pogosyan was less violent than his co-accused and that he acted under his direction.
He imposed identical sentences on both men of 13 years and suspended the final two years of Pogosyan's sentence to take account of mitigating circumstances.
The prosecution was led by Patricia McLaughlin SC, with Fiona Crawford BL, instructed by State Solicitor Kieran Dillon.
Ms McLaughlin SC said during the sentencing hearing that the case represented the first conviction of its type in the country of human trafficking for the purpose of labour exploitation.
'I felt like a prisoner'
One victim attempted to escape four or five times, but was caught and beaten each time, suffering bodily bruises to prevent visible bruising, the court heard.
"I felt like … a prisoner because they would not let us go anywhere," one victim's impact statement said.
The court heard that it would appear the criminality began in December 2020 and continued until October 2023.
Ms McLaughlin said the first victim presented at Store Street Garda Station in Dublin on 25 April 2022, alleging he was trafficked from Lativia for labour exploitation.
Six other victims came forward. All victims were susceptible to being trafficked, the court heard. They had little or no English.
The victims were not aware they were going to Donegal before arriving at Dublin Airport.
They were provided with substandard accommodation, controlled and rented by the defendants in Rossnowlagh and Ballyshannon, the court heard.
Some victims were not provided with bedding, had to sleep on mattresses on a floor and had to allocate some of their minimal pay for bedding.
People were like 'fish in a can'
One victim said people were like "fish in a can" in the property and added th…
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