Farm workers working up to 14 hours a day: eight investigated for gangmastering in the Caserta area.

An organized system for sourcing labor on a daily basis and bringing it to the agricultural fields of the Caserta area. This is what the Carabinieri of the Caserta Labor Inspectorate reconstructed as part of an investigation coordinated by the Santa Maria Capua Vetere Public Prosecutor's Office that lasted over two years.

At the heart of the investigation are the conditions under which, according to investigators, numerous non-EU workers were employed, some of whom lacked residency permits. The activities were reportedly concentrated primarily in the countryside between Villa Literno and Mondragone.

A total of eight people are under investigation for illicit brokerage and labor exploitation. The investigating judge of the Court of Santa Maria Capua Vetere has issued precautionary measures for four of them: three have been ordered to report to the judicial police, while a fourth suspect has been ordered to remain in his/her residence. Four other people have received notice of the conclusion of the preliminary investigation.

Up to 80 laborers per day

According to the investigation, the workers were recruited directly from the street, in groups of up to 70-80 people a day, and then accompanied to their workplaces.

The transport would have taken place using several vans, some of which were dilapidated and even originally intended for freight. The transports would have been handled by several drivers working for an agricultural company based in Villa Literno.
Once they reached the fields, the laborers would be employed mainly in harvesting vegetables, without a regular contract and with particularly hard shifts.

Work days up to 14 hours

The investigators' reconstruction describes working days that could last 12-14 consecutive hours, even seven days a week.

For these services, wages were reportedly extremely low and varied depending on the type of employment. In some cases, the compensation ranged from 80 cents to 1,50 euros for each box collected; in others, a wage of 3-4 euros per hour was paid.

For some workers, the daily wage would have been just 30 euros, rising to 50 euros for those who had been employed longer.

Illness, telephones and check-ups

According to investigators, the workers were subjected to constant surveillance. Laborers were prevented from taking time off work, even if they were ill, and in some cases, from using their phones while working.

Pressure was also allegedly applied through the threat of losing their jobs in the event of poor performance, illness, or failure to cooperate during any police checks.

Work continued even during particularly difficult weather conditions, from rain to very hot days. Investigators allege, among other things, violation of the regional ordinance on combating agricultural work during heatwaves, issued by the Campania Region on July 11, 2024.

No medical visits and little protection

Another chapter of the investigation concerns the safety and protection conditions of workers.
During the investigations, the lack of preventive medical checks, personal protective equipment, toilets, and refreshment points in the workplace was discovered.
A situation which, according to the prosecution's hypothesis, would have contributed to making the farm workers particularly vulnerable, especially those in conditions of greater social and economic fragility.

Drones, shadowing and inspections

The investigation, coordinated by the Santa Maria Capua Vetere Public Prosecutor's Office, headed by Prosecutor Pierpaolo Bruni, was developed through extensive investigative activity.
The Carabinieri of the Labor Inspectorate Unit carried out inspections of the fields, observations, checks, and shadowing, as well as taking photographs and videos, including using drones.

Technical investigation activities were also carried out.

The investigations were accompanied by checks and inspections carried out with the support of the Caserta Territorial Labor Inspectorate and the International Organization for Migration, as part of the Alt Caporalato Tre project, funded by the FAMI Fund 2021-2027.

Workers who collaborated were placed under protection

Particularly significant within the investigation is the process initiated for some of the farm workers who provided investigators with statements deemed useful.
The workers were placed in protected areas and started on a path of protection and social and work integration.

This is the human side of an investigation that, in addition to the criminal charges against the eight suspects, sheds light on the particularly vulnerable conditions in which, according to the investigative reconstruction, numerous farm workers were forced to work in the countryside between Villa Literno and Mondragone.