Failure to spot modern slavery in plain sight at McDonald’s

A recently published investigation reveals the depths of the modern slavery abuses by a trafficking gang in the U.K. between 2012 and 2019. A group from Czech Slovakia trafficked at least 16 individuals to the U.K., forcing them to work under brutal conditions at a McDonald’s drive-thru, a car wash, and two bread factories. The victims, referred to as “horses” by the perpetrators, had their passports confiscated and were subjected to relentless exploitation, threats, and violence. Despite the scale of the operation, it continued for seven years before authorities intervened.

“They said they would kill me if I tried to escape.”

In report by Sri Lanka Guardian, accounts of extreme abuse, greed, and exploitation from the investigation are detailed, revealing that the 16 trafficked men and women were forced to work for up to 100 hours a week. Police estimate that the traffickers made up to £400,000 a year for seven years from the operation.

One victim was shot with an air rifle for perceived disobedience, leaving her with lasting injuries. Others endured beatings, threats of mutilation, and surveillance. Survivors reported living in sheds with no heating or water, while the gang displayed wealth with gold jewelry, luxury cars, and even a Christmas tree adorned with £20 notes.

Among those trafficked was Roman Landa, a 45-year-old Czech national, who spent four years working at a McDonald’s near Cambridge. In an interview from a secret location in the U.K., Landa recounted:

 “It wasn’t easy just to run away. They had taken my passport and locked it inside a safe. I didn’t speak English and was afraid to go to the police. They said they would kill me if I tried to escape.”

U.K. authorities failed to spot the signs

The trafficking ring came to an end in 2019 following a tip-off from Czech authorities. A young woman, first trafficked by the gang at age 17, had escaped and alerted Czech police to the situation in the U.K. The woman, who had been moved between factory work and car washes and eventually forced into prostitution, is the one who initiated the gang’s downfall by providing key evidence.

Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy expressed his shock at how easily modern slavery had infiltrated mainstream business, yet no one seemed to notice.

“How was it possible that a McDonald’s franchise and bread factories could be employing slaves in 21st-century Britain? Nobody questioned why their wages were being paid into the same account, why they were working such long hours, or why none of them spoke English. These are clear red flags of forced labor that went unnoticed or ignored.”

Eventually, by October 2024, five of the six conspirators were convicted and sentenced to prison, the sixth is still awaiting trial.

The call for mandatory human rights due diligence

For Landa, the convictions offer little solace.

“I am glad they’re finally in jail, but that won’t get back the years they took from me,” he said. “They are pigs and they don’t care about anyone but themselves. All they care about is money, money, money.”

Cases like Landa’s underscore the urgent need for stronger corporate accountability measures, and how easy it is for forced labor to persist when corporations are not held accountable. Take action by signing our petition to demand the passing of mandatory human rights due diligence laws to ensure that companies take responsibility for identifying and preventing modern slavery in their supply chains rather than turning a blind eye.