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| Czech gang guilty of Plymouth 'slaves' trafficking | Czech gang guilty of Plymouth 'slaves' trafficking |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| A gang who trafficked Eastern European "slaves" to the UK has been convicted guilty after a two-month trial. | |
| The victims, who were brought to Plymouth from the Czech Republic, were beaten, punched and told they would be killed if they tried to escape. | The victims, who were brought to Plymouth from the Czech Republic, were beaten, punched and told they would be killed if they tried to escape. |
| Five Czech nationals denied trafficking charges at Plymouth Crown Court. | Five Czech nationals denied trafficking charges at Plymouth Crown Court. |
| Ruzena Tancosova, 36, Petr Tancos, 37, Nela Dzurkova, 28, Martin Tancos, 37 and Katerina Kurejova, 37, were found guilty of all charges. | Ruzena Tancosova, 36, Petr Tancos, 37, Nela Dzurkova, 28, Martin Tancos, 37 and Katerina Kurejova, 37, were found guilty of all charges. |
| For more on this story, and other Devon and Cornwall news. | For more on this story, and other Devon and Cornwall news. |
| Their victims had to forage in bins for food and some had to live in cupboards and were often humiliated, the court heard. | |
| The gang charged victims £1 to use the toilet and made them work in factories, car washes and as domestic slaves across Devon and Cornwall. | |
| Michael Mather-Lees QC, prosecuting, told the court trafficking was "a spider's web that goes across continents". | Michael Mather-Lees QC, prosecuting, told the court trafficking was "a spider's web that goes across continents". |
| In court, Ruzena Tancosova was described as the "godmother" of the gang, while Petr Tancos was the "enforcer" who used a baseball bat to assault and threaten the victims. | In court, Ruzena Tancosova was described as the "godmother" of the gang, while Petr Tancos was the "enforcer" who used a baseball bat to assault and threaten the victims. |
| Nela Dzurkova and Martin Tancos arranged the trafficking of the victims and controlled their finances, assisted by Katerina Kurejova. | Nela Dzurkova and Martin Tancos arranged the trafficking of the victims and controlled their finances, assisted by Katerina Kurejova. |
| Police were alerted to their plight in February 2014 when two victims contacted the authorities to try to escape. | |
| Officers began a seven-month surveillance operation - dubbed Operation Triage - and carried out a series of raids on homes in Plymouth in September 2014. | |
| Police estimate dozens of men were trafficked over several years making, the gang hundreds of thousands of pounds. | |
| Charges | |
| Ruzena Tancosova, 36, of South View Terrace - charged with conspiracy to traffic for the purpose of exploitation, requiring a person to perform forced or compulsory labour and acting as a gangmaster | Ruzena Tancosova, 36, of South View Terrace - charged with conspiracy to traffic for the purpose of exploitation, requiring a person to perform forced or compulsory labour and acting as a gangmaster |
| Petr Tancos, 37, of South View Terrace - charged with conspiracy to traffic for the purpose of exploitation, requiring a person to perform forced or compulsory labour | Petr Tancos, 37, of South View Terrace - charged with conspiracy to traffic for the purpose of exploitation, requiring a person to perform forced or compulsory labour |
| Nela Dzurkova, 28, of South View Terrace - charged with conspiracy to traffic for the purpose of exploitation | Nela Dzurkova, 28, of South View Terrace - charged with conspiracy to traffic for the purpose of exploitation |
| Martin Tancos, 37, of Wolsdon Street - charged with conspiracy to traffic for the purpose of exploitation and acting as a gangmaster | Martin Tancos, 37, of Wolsdon Street - charged with conspiracy to traffic for the purpose of exploitation and acting as a gangmaster |
| Katerina Kurejova, 37, of Wolsdon Street - charged with conspiracy to traffic for the purpose of exploitation | Katerina Kurejova, 37, of Wolsdon Street - charged with conspiracy to traffic for the purpose of exploitation |