Fugitive gangmaster of Black Country slavery ring captured after fleeing to Poland
The wanted kingpin of Britain's largest human trafficking ring is now behind bars after going on the run for his Black Country crimes.
Fugitive Ignacy Brzezinski was a lead member of a Polish gang convicted of trafficking up to 400 people from their native country and forcing them to live in squalid conditions across the West Midlands.
The 52-year-old, who was convicted of marshalling the ring earlier this month, skipped court bail on the eve of sentencing.
But detectives tracked him down, with the criminal now in custody and awaiting extradition back to the UK to start his 11-year jail term.
West Midlands Police Detective Chief Inspector Nick Dale, who ran the landmark investigation, said: “The case attracted international media coverage – which gave us fresh leads as to Brzezinski’s whereabouts.
“The Central Investigation Bureau of the Polish Police found him lying low in an apartment; our understanding is that he didn’t try to run, he surrendered quietly and instead seemed rather surprised he’d been traced to a flat that didn’t belong to him.
“Brzezinski believed he could escape justice for exploitation on an industrial scale, showing nothing but contempt for his victims and the court.
“It’s really satisfying he has been arrested so quickly, and we are working with the Polish authorities to extradite him as soon as possible, so that his victims will know he is serving his sentence along with his co-conspirators.”
The eight-strong gang were jailed for a total of more than 55 years in what the trial judge described as “the largest conspiracy of its type ever known”.
A European Arrest Warrant was issued on July 17 and on July 24 after West Midlands Police received intelligence suggesting Brzezinski was back in Poland.
Brzezinski – who drove around the West Midlands in a Bentley while his victims worked for as little as 50p an hour – was detained by Polish police in a flat in the city of Włocławek.
The gang of five men and three women lured vulnerable people from Poland, including the homeless, ex-prisoners and alcoholics, with the promise of employment, money and accommodation.
But they were forced to work long hours on farms, rubbish recycling centres and turkey gutting factories - given as little as £20 per week by the gang leaders who pocketed the bulk of their salaries.
Victims were often crammed four to a room in vermin-infested properties across West Bromwich, Sandwell, Smethwick and Walsall, fed out-of-date food and forced to scavenge for dumped mattresses to sleep on.
There were no working toilets, heating, furniture or hot water at some of the properties, with some victims forced to wash in canal water.
Dave Hucker, of National Crime Agency International, said: “We are delighted to have played a role in ensuring Brzezinski will face justice for the horrendous crimes he has committed.
"Identifying Brzezinski’s location and his subsequent arrest were possible because of our excellent relationship and co-operation with the Central Investigation Bureau of the Polish Police.
“The National Crime Agency’s international liaison officers are placed in strategic global locations to lend their expertise and help disrupt serious and organised crime.”
Bank accounts were opened in victims’ names using bogus addresses, but were controlled by the gangmasters.
The gang also topped up their criminal takings by claiming benefits in the names of the victims, who were aged between 17 and 60.
Detectives believe the abusers made in excess of £2 million between June 2012 and October 2017 and enjoyed a lavish lifestyle, buying designer clothes and driving around in high-end cars.
Brzezinski – who was living in Beechwood Road, West Bromwich, but originally from Chelmno-Pomorskie in Poland – was a prominent member of the criminal gang.
He seized control of victims’ bank accounts, plundering their wages, with a stash of documents in victims’ names, their bank cards and a significant quantity of cash uncovered during a police raid of his home.
The trial judge described their trafficking conspiracy as the “most ambitious, extensive and prolific” modern day slavery network ever exposed in the UK – and praised the “meticulous” West Midlands Police investigation that saw them convicted.
