Finland Opens Landmark Human Trafficking Trial

A Finnish court has opened the country’s largest human trafficking trial against berry company Polarica and its former CEO, alongside a Thai business partner, over allegations of luring Thai workers to Finland in 2022 and forcing them to pick wild berries under degrading conditions. Both defendants deny the charges, while prosecutors seek at least five-year sentences. The case could reshape recruitment and treatment practices for migrant labor in Finland’s berry industry.