Four men have been convicted of organised crime in West Lothian, including people smuggling, money laundering, and fraud.
Hardijs Langsteins, 37, from Salford; Maris Kursis , 30, from Falkirk; Arvids Civkors, 30, from Edinburgh and Aivars Dzagarjans, 38, from Forth, Northumberland were accused of bringing Latvian people into the UK between 2012 and 2016.
The men were convicted at Edinburgh Sheriff Court following a 14-week-trial.
Detective Chief Insp Stephen Healy said: “All four of these men subjected their victims to threats, intimidation and coercion, leaving them in fear for their safety and believing that they were in debt to the group, forcing them to hand over their bank accounts in order to repay them.
“The group then committed fraud and laundered the proceeds of these crimes through the accounts.
“This group actively targeted vulnerable Latvian nationals looking to come to the UK for a better life and placed them in crowded and squalid conditions, exploiting them for profit.
“I would also like to thank all of those individuals who testified against Langsteins, Kursis, Dzagarjan and Civkors as it was their evidence that helped secure their convictions.”
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
