A 41-year-old man has been arrested by the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) on suspicion of human trafficking offences connected to a hand car wash.
The Romanian national was arrested by GLAA officers at an address in Barnet, north London, on the morning of Wednesday July 1. He remains in custody being questioned by the GLAA.
As part of the same investigation, officers spoke to three workers at a hand car wash in Keynsham, near Bristol. Two potential victims were safeguarded by the GLAA prior to the operation.
GLAA senior investigating officer Andy Davies said: “This was a successful co-ordinated operation executed by our officers at two separate locations over 100 miles apart.
“Tackling labour abuse is what we do on a daily basis, but it’s equally as important to address the methods in which exploitation can take place.
“There has to be a zero-tolerance approach to human trafficking, whether it is for the purposes of sexual exploitation, organised drug dealing, or for the forced labour offences we investigate.”
The operation was supported by officers from the Metropolitan Police and Avon and Somerset Constabulary.
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