Illegal workers caught in raid

Warning to employers after arrests

A RAID on a business in Uxbridge netted 16 immigration offenders.

Acting on intelligence, officers visited Zenith Wholesale Ltd, Packet Boat Lane, on Monday 25 July.

Staff were questioned to establish whether they had the right to live and work in the UK and 12 people were arrested.

Seven were found to have overstayed their student visas, they included: three Indian men aged between 25 and 29, two Indian women aged 32 and 37 and two Nepalese men aged 26 and 29.

Five were found to have overstayed their visit visas, they included: four Indian men aged between 27 and 33 and a 40-yearold Indian woman.

A further three Indian men, aged between 35 and 38, and a 28-year-old Indian woman who all had no permission to work, were not arrested due to outstanding applications under consideration by the Home Office.

They were escorted from the premises and must now report regularly to Immigration Enforcement while their cases are progressed.

All those arrested were transferred to immigration detention pending removal from the UK.

The business was served a notice warning that financial penalties of up to £20,000 per illegal worker found will be imposed unless the employer can demonstrate that appropriate right to work document checks were carried out, such as seeing a passport or Home Office document. If proof is not provided, this is a potential total of up to £320,000.

Assistant Director Chris Edwards, head of the west London Home Office Immigration Enforcement team, said: “Illegal working is not victimless and can involve the exploitation of some of society’s most vulnerable people. It also defrauds the treasury of vital funds, undercuts businesses that provide an honest trade and cheats legitimate job seekers out of employment opportunities.

“We will continue to actively target rogue employers who exploit illegal workers and I would urge the public to continue to report all incidents of immigration abuse.”

Information to help employers carry out checks to prevent illegal working can be found at https:// www. g ov. uk/ government/ collections/ e m p l oy e r s - i l l e g a l - working-penalties. It includes a new quick answer right-to- work tool to help employers check if someone has the right to work in the UK.

People with information about suspected immigration abuse can contact https:// www. g ov. u k / re p o r t - immigration-crime or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.