Migrants staying in the reception center at Monastir in Sardinia were approached by recruiters who put them to work illegally in the fields, police have revealed.

The migrants worked harvesting artichokes and other vegetables on small plots of land for up to ten hours a day, but they were also employed in the vineyards of prestigious wine producers, where they were paid just €5 an hour, they said.

Investigators said that more than 50 people were exploited in this way by a criminal organization, dismantled in an operation on September 20 by police from the Sardinian city of Cagliari.

Five Pakistanis arrested

Five Pakistanis aged 25 to 43 with regular residence permits were detained on charges in connection with the illegal recruitment and exploitation. Two others, also Pakistani citizens, were reported to authorities after they were caught taking migrants with their lorries to work in farms near Cagliari, in Parteolla, Sulcis and Campidano.

A total of 12 companies were placed under investigation for allegedly illegally exploiting workers, the same sources said.

The investigation kicked off last June, when a migrant reported to authorities the dire conditions under which he was forced to work, protesting in particular about his meagre salary.

"Workers were exploited but no violence was used against them," police chief Fabrizio Mustaro told a press conference. "The organization didn't worry about providing food, it was up to the workers to take care of meals each day," he added.

Gangmasters' illegal activities

After protesting over pay, migrants were able to obtain from the organization a small salary increase: from €5 to €6 per hour for those who were staying at a CAS centre and €6.50 for those staying in regular lodgings, investigators said.

Two of those detained managed companies that pretended to act as job intermediaries, police explained. The suspected gangmasters first "offered entrepreneurs workers with a contract, and then undeclared workers," said a police chief.

One of the men arrested lived at the Monastir hosting centre, where he recruited men to work in the fields.