Illegal gangmaster arrested in Northern Ireland
The man was arrested yesterday (April 1) in Lurgan by the Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) and the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
The 39-year-old Romanian national was apprehended as part of the regulatory authority’s ongoing investigations into unlicensed labour provision on fruit farms in County Armagh, according to the GLA.
Without a licence
Announcing the arrest, the GLA said the individual was suspected of supplying workers to pick apples and other fruit without a licence at various locations in the area – activities requiring a GLA licence.
He has been released pending reports being submitted to the Public Prosecution Service.
Providing workers for roles in agriculture, horticulture and food processing and packaging without a GLA licence was a criminal offence that carried a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, said the GLA.
