Police send Arctic Group berry picker trafficking case to prosecutors

By admin On Sep 17, 2025

The human trafficking investigation concerning berry company Arctic Group has been submitted for consideration of charges, police say. Photo: Antti Aimo-Koivisto / Lehtikuva

Police in Finland have concluded a major investigation into suspected human trafficking involving Thai berry pickers brought to the country during the 2022 and 2023 harvest seasons. The case centres on three companies operating under the Arctic Group umbrella.

Authorities say the firms invited Thai citizens to Finland under the pretext of seasonal work but exploited them for profit. The case has now been submitted to the Eastern Finland Prosecutor’s Office for consideration of charges.

Ten individuals are suspected in total, five of whom were held in custody during the investigation. The suspects include both Finnish and Thai nationals.

According to police, 140 Thai workers were affected. Most were interviewed in Thailand as part of the cross-border investigation. Of the victims, 95 worked during the 2022 season and 45 during 2023.

The probe was led by the Helsinki Police Department’s national human trafficking unit, with support from the National Bureau of Investigation and Oulu Police. Finnish authorities also collaborated with counterparts in Thailand and Sweden.

Police say the berry companies misled authorities when applying for worker visas. The firms submitted applications for seasonal horticultural jobs, which come with employment contracts and regulated conditions. In reality, the workers were used to pick wild berries under Finland’s “everyman’s rights”, which do not involve formal employment or protections.

Detective Chief Inspector Sami Isoniemi, who led the investigation, said the pickers were subjected to unfair conditions and misled about what to expect in Finland.

“Pickers faced unreasonable expenses, which left nearly all of them in debt, both to the companies and back home in Thailand,” Isoniemi said.

The case includes charges of aggravated human trafficking and aggravated facilitation of illegal entry. Four of the ten suspects are under investigation specifically for using false or misleading information to obtain visas.

Police suspect that the companies deliberately bypassed labour quotas and legal obligations by using incorrect visa categories to bring in more workers than allowed.

Authorities also believe the firms signed employment contracts to secure the visas, despite never intending to provide actual employment. Instead, workers picked wild berries and sold them back to the same companies under terms that offered no legal protection or income guarantees.

The investigation’s findings are now with prosecutors, who will decide whether to bring the case to trial.

Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi