Nine people have been arrested in connection with a suspected human trafficking ring, authorities said on Friday afternoon.
The suspects are believed to have brought 14 Asian workers to Malta, ostensibly to do low-paying cleaning work, and then used them for trafficking purposes.
Identity Malta flagged the case to police following an agency exercise to follow up on residence permits submitted by third country nationals. The permit applications had been filed by employers on behalf of the workers in question.
The information led to police arresting the nine suspects, which include both Maltese and foreign nationals, on Friday morning. None of the suspects are linked to Identity Malta, the Home Affairs Ministry said.
Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech has opened an inquiry into the case and is expected to hear the testimony of the 14 suspected victims.
I applaud @identitymalta for their extensive work during the last weeks & hours. An alleged case of #humantrafficking has been flagged up and brought to court with 14 victims giving their testimonies in a magisterial inquiry . @MaltaPolice made 9 arrests related to this case.
— Julia Farrugia Portelli (@JuliaFarrugia) March 2, 2018