Human trafficking gang who forced migrant slaves to work at McDonald's and eat from bins to survive are jailed for 26 years

Three members of a trafficking gang have been jailed for a total of 26 years for exploiting vulnerable migrants by forcing them to work in fast-food chains and car washes for as little as £10 a week.

Zdenek Drevenak, 47, Monika Daducova, 43, Jiri Cernohous, 48, and Martin Slovjak, 46, lured 11 Czech nationals and one Slovakian to the UK with false promises of better jobs and a higher quality of life.

Upon arrival, the gang seized their passports and identity documents, keeping them under tight control in squalid conditions at a house in Enfield, North London .

The victims were compelled to work at various locations, including a McDonald's in Cambridgeshire and a pitta bread bakery in Hertfordshire, generating £400,000 annually for their traffickers.

While the gang took the bulk of their wages, the migrants received only small amounts for pocket money, leaving them trapped in what prosecutors described as 'invisible handcuffs.'

Southwark Crown Court was told that one victim was forced into prostitution and shot in the leg by Drevenak.

Drevenak, Daducova, Cernohous, and Slovjak denied the charges but were convicted by a jury of various offences, including conspiracy to hold a person in servitude and trafficking for exploitation after a three-month trial.

Judge Martin Griffith sentenced Drevenak to 13 years, Cernohous to nine years, and Slovjak to four years.

Daducova will be sentenced at a later date.

Drevenak began trafficking vulnerable individuals from the Czech Republic in 2015, alongside his brother Ernest, who was sentenced to 12 years, while Veronika Bubencikova received a 10-year sentence in a previous trial.

Prosecutor Benjamin Temple described the gang's deliberate targeting of vulnerable individuals, exploiting their desperation for a better life.

He said: 'The Crown's case is that they employed a range of methods of control, both physical and psychological.'

The victims worked at the bakery for a total of 144 months, earning the gang £193,487.

Temple described horrific conditions faced by the victims, including physical abuse.

One woman was beaten with a television cable by Drevenak when she refused to work as a prostitute, while another victim recalled being moved around like 'a piece on a chess board.'

Many victims reported sleeping in cramped conditions, with some even forced to share a garage.

Victims were often misled into signing documents, unwittingly agreeing to terms that stripped them of their earnings.

They were manipulated into working long hours for wages funneled into the defendants' accounts.

Temple stated that the gang kept the migrants economically and physically trapped, with many unable to communicate effectively in English.

Throughout the trial, testimonies revealed the trauma endured by the victims.

One victim reported living on the street and scavenging for food, while another described how the pain from a bullet wound shot by Drevenak still affects her daily life.

Another victim turned to alcohol for comfort after the ordeal.

Drevenak, Daducova, Cernohous, and Slovjak each faced multiple counts of trafficking and forced labour.

Their charges stemmed from offenses committed between January 2014 and October 2019, following an investigation by the Metropolitan Police .

Kate Mulholland, a specialist prosecutor, condemned the gang's exploitation methods: 'The victims were controlled and manipulated by Drevenak, Daducova, Cernohous, and Slovjak in the most despicable way.

'They used a variety of methods, both physical and psychological, to coerce, deceive and exploit the 12 men and women, who spoke little or no English and had their passports and identity documents removed on arrival.

'The vulnerable victims may not have been under lock and key, but their ability to escape was undermined by the various methods of control - and as a result they remained trapped in 'invisible handcuffs'.

'This was a shocking case of exploitation, and each member of the gang played their part in making it possible.'

Debi Lloyd, Head of UK Counter Trafficking Operation at Justice and Care said: 'This has been a long running and complex case and it has been our privilege to support the survivors.

'These men and women faced horrific exploitation that no human being should ever be put through, and the courage they have shown throughout the investigation amid incredibly difficult circumstances has been astounding.

'We also applaud the tireless work of the police involved in this case. This sentencing shows how our navigators are essential in empowering survivors throughout the criminal justice process and enabling investigation teams to build strong cases.'