Europol: 27 arrests and 248 potential victims in an operation against labor exploitation across 34 countries

Authorities in 34 countries identified 248 potential victims and made 27 arrests on suspicion of human trafficking as part of an operation targeting labor exploitation, according to the tally announced by Europol and the European Labour Authority on October 23, 2026. Romania took part in the operation from September 14–20; Europol describes a case in which vulnerable people, including minors, were allegedly lured by promises of payment and forced to work in agriculture for over 12 hours a day, without remuneration.

In brief

1. The September 14–20 operation brought together 34 countries, led by Sweden and supported by Europol and the European Labour Authority. Romania and the Republic of Moldova were among the participants.

2. The European tally includes 27 arrests on suspicion of human trafficking, 248 potential victims, and 182 new investigations. Another 86 arrests concerned different offenses; the figures do not represent convictions.

3. In the case described in Romania, vulnerable people, including minors, allegedly worked in agriculture for over 12 hours a day, without pay and in degrading living conditions. The European totals are not a tally for Romania.

4. The 16,031 representatives of the authorities checked people, locations, vehicles, and documents. ELA also coordinated and supported 18 joint and concerted inspections.

5. The tally includes the Dutch investigation already announced in September: over 70 potential victims in restaurants, two arrests, and illegal profits estimated at at least four million euros.

The operation was led by Sweden within EMPACT, the platform through which national authorities and European bodies cooperate against serious and organized crime. Police officers, border guards, labor and social security inspectors, as well as tax authorities, took part. The checks targeted agriculture, construction, restaurants and hotels, beauty salons, and massage centers.

In the Romanian case presented by Europol, promises of fair remuneration were allegedly used to recruit vulnerable people, including minors. They allegedly ended up working more than 12 hours a day, without pay, and living in degrading conditions. The statement does not provide a separate tally of arrests or people identified in Romania.

Across the operation as a whole, authorities opened 182 new investigations into human trafficking. In addition to the 27 arrests linked to this type of offense, another 86 people were arrested for other acts, including illegal employment and prostitution-related offenses. Suspects are presumed innocent.

The 16,031 participants checked a total of 137,810 entities, an indicator that includes people, locations, vehicles, and documents. The figure describes the scale of the checks, not a number of companies where exploitation was proven or confirmed offenses.

According to the joint tally, 73% of the potential victims were men, and the people identified mainly came from Vietnam, China, India, and the Philippines. Construction, the hotel and restaurant sector, and agriculture were among the sectors where the exploitation of men was reported; women were identified mainly in nail salons and massage centers.

Minors accounted for approximately 5% of the people identified. Although the operation focused on labor exploitation, authorities also uncovered cases of sexual exploitation, forced begging, and domestic servitude. In Austria, for example, police investigated parents suspected of exploiting their children through forced begging.

In Germany, 63 people, mostly Vietnamese and Chinese, were identified in restaurants and nail salons. Authorities reported insufficient wages, illegal employment, and restrictions on freedom. In Hungary, investigations identified 11 Hungarian citizens who, according to the authorities, were subjected to forced labor and domestic servitude in agriculture, as well as four other victims of sexual exploitation.

In Cyprus, Europol describes the case of a worker at a livestock farm who allegedly worked ten hours a day, without pay or days off. The suspect allegedly withheld his passport, while the man allegedly received insufficient food and lived in a room with leaks, an outdoor bathroom, and only cold water.

The tally also revisits a Dutch investigation announced on September 18, which 2EU has already reported on. Europol indicates more than 70 potential victims, mainly Indian nationals, exploited in restaurants in five European countries. Two people were arrested, and the illegal profits estimated by investigators exceed four million euros. Dutch authorities suspect schedules of 60–80 hours per week, unpaid overtime, contracts with penalties for leaving the job, and pressure on the workers’ families.

In that investigation, the Netherlands Labour Inspectorate announced the seizure of properties and bank accounts and the confiscation of data storage devices and documents. The action involved cooperation with Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, and Switzerland.

Europol supported the exchange of information, operational meetings, investigators’ participation in operations in other countries, and data analysis. The European Labour Authority, ELA, coordinated and supported 18 joint and concerted inspections, providing logistical, communication, and analytical assistance.

The two agencies present the tally as the first result of their working agreement signed on September 2, 2026. It aims to link the work of labor inspectorates more closely with investigations into exploitation, human trafficking, fraud, and related organized crime.

The results were announced a week after the presentation of the European Commission’s new strategy against human trafficking, on October 16. The strategy emphasizes prevention, cooperation with the private sector and between authorities, combating cross-border networks, and protecting victims.

The Commission states that more than 20,000 victims of human trafficking were recorded in the EU in 2023–2024, 16.1% more than in 2021–2022. These statistics concern different years and a different reporting framework than the tally from the September 2026 operation.