Illegal Labor Ring Busted: Moroccan Farmworkers Exploited in French Agriculture Scheme

The three suspects were arrested between May 12 and 14, 2025, during an operation by the Toulouse branch of the Office for Combating Illegal Migrant Trafficking (OLTIM), conducted as part of an investigation opened in late 2023, under the supervision of the Montauban prosecutor’s office. The well-structured network recruited, through an agricultural services company, Moroccan seasonal workers whom it exploited in local farms, without residence permits or social rights, according to La Dépêche.

This criminal organization was "illegally bringing into and keeping in France, under seasonal worker status, individuals forced to pay large sums (10,000 euros) in exchange for arrival in France and unfulfilled promises of residence permits and work contracts," specifies the Montauban Public Prosecutor, Bruno Sauvage, in a statement.

The seasonal workers, people in highly precarious situations, are recruited from Morocco. Once in France, they are sent to local farms where they are exploited. "The victims, once on site, were left to fend for themselves, forced to accept precarious working conditions and without rights. None of the promises made from Morocco were fulfilled," details the prosecutor. No fewer than 30 Moroccan seasonal workers have been victims of this network.

The searches carried out led to the seizure of nearly 20,000 euros in cash, as well as jewelry and assets spread across several bank accounts. Two of the three suspects have been placed under judicial supervision, pending their trial before the Montauban Criminal Court on October 4. They are being prosecuted for undeclared work, employment of foreigners without work authorization, aiding illegal entry, movement or stay, fraud, and breach of trust.