In February 2017, a desperate man walked into a Derby police station looking for help. His story indicated that he was a victim of human trafficking and modern slavery, and Derbyshire Constabulary launched an investigation. They uncovered an organised gang trafficking slaves from Latvia to Derby. The victims would be put to work in legitimate jobs, and bank accounts opened in their name. The gang kept hold of the victims’ bank cards and details, and used their earnings to fund their own lifestyles.

After six months of investigation, police raided half a dozen houses in Derby. They arrested six suspects, but five more had gone on the run. Amongst them were ringleaders Karens Pelcis and Madara Stromane. Police traced the money they’d extorted, and discovered that most of it found its way to Latvia. They would need to work with Latvian authorities to bring down the rest of the gang. After months of planning, police from Derby and Latvia carried out raids on luxury homes in a town outside the capital Riga. But nothing could have prepared the officers for what they would find.

And detectives from the Metropolitan Police’s extradition unit are carrying out a number of searches across the capital. DS Pete Rance and his team are searching for a murderer wanted for shooting a man dead in a drunken row in Latvia, a Romanian kidnapper who took a woman and her daughter hostage, and two Moldovans convicted of counterfeiting. Show less