Dutch authorities have made nine arrests in a massive fraud investigation involving growers of strawberries, raspberries, asparagus and mushrooms.
Those arrested are suspected of laundering tens of millions of euros through false businesses as well as exploiting Polish workers.
The effects of the case are far reaching and money has been seized and records requested from Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, France and Poland, among others.
The scam involves recording a sale of produce to a fictitious company before Polish workers are used to harvest the crop in the Netherlands. It is then auctioned and delivered to customers, apparently dodging Dutch taxes and swindling Polish workers out of their social security benefits.
An intermediary, allegedly a labour provider, is the main suspect. A spokesman for Dutch farming union LTO said such practices were common. “This has been going on for years and results from ambiguity in legislation. It puts Dutch horticulture in a negative light...it is an effect of low prices, forcing growers to...search for ways to reduce labour costs.”
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