A Colombian man is facing court over allegations he has been controlling a group of migrants and, on several occasions, locked them inside cupboards at his Adelaide home.
Australian Federal Police received a report the 38-year-old was allegedly subjecting a small group of people from Venezuela to “ongoing cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment”.
Those people were allegedly members of a youth group he formerly led in Venezuela.
He allegedly helped them migrate to Australia in 2015 with another group arriving the following year.
But after they arrived, the man allegedly took control of their passports and used that to maintain control, abuse and servitude.
Federal police alleged he had daily control of his victims by tracking their movements, restricting daily activity, scheduling compulsory daily chores, controlling earnings and forcing victims to pay off debts that were unreasonably enforced.
On several occasions, he allegedly locked them out of the group home and inside cupboards for multiple days.
He also allegedly isolated the group from friends and family and restricted or oversaw messages and communication with their loved ones.
Yesterday, federal police stormed his home and arrested the 38-year-old.
Officers also seized electronic devices and documentation at the home.
The Colombian national was charged with causing debt bondage (aggravated), cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and causing a person to enter into or remain in servitude (aggravated), cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.
He is facing a combined maximum penalty of 27 years in prison and is expected to front Adelaide Magistrates Court today.
What are servitude practices and debt bondage?
Servitude practices and debt bondage occur when people are subjected to conditions to which they haven’t agreed to.
“Victims are significantly deprived of personal freedom in all aspects of their life, and threats, coercion or deception are often used against them,” said AFP superintendent Melinda Adam.
“Offenders usually benefit or profit off vulnerable people who cannot, or will not, report exploitative conditions out of fear of retribution by perpetrators, social isolation and financial dependence on offenders.”
