Police suspect human trafficking in Maalahti

Police in Ostrobothnia are investigating a Maalahti man on suspicion of human trafficking and aggravated extortion after Vietnamese workers paid thousands of euros to come to Finland for jobs that largely failed to materialise, Yle reports.

The man allegedly lured the workers with promises of employment at a company he co-founded in 2024, which purchased two detached houses in Ostrobothnia—one in Maalahti and one in Vaasa—as well as three empty greenhouses in Maalahti. The company had applied for subsidies to grow flowers in spring and lettuce and herbs later in the year, but the workers never performed greenhouse work.

Instead, the Vietnamese workers were housed in a dilapidated detached house in Maalahti. A 2025 survey deemed the 1960s property uninhabitable due to extensive defects, including a leaking roof, cracks in the foundation and exterior walls, and moisture and mould damage in the basement. Trinh Thi Kieu Nguyen, who moved into the basement in September 2025, said 7–8 men lived on the first floor and a similar number of women in the basement, with one toilet per floor. She described frequent sewage odours and a lack of privacy, with only a cloth hung over a doorless frame for cover.

Trinh paid the man €2,000 to come to Finland as a seasonal worker. She earned around €2,000 over two months picking berries, paid in cash based on her daily harvest. To extend her residence permit, she signed a new contract with the man for €4,000, part of which he later repaid in instalments. He also demanded an additional €3,000 to assist with her permit application, which she paid in part by borrowing from private individuals.

The man denies taking money from the workers to bring them to Finland or employ them. He claims he has complied with Finnish law and considers the allegations rumours and defamation. He told Svenska Yle that 11 people currently live in the Maalahti house and have been offered alternative accommodation in Vaasa, but have chosen to stay.

Police conducted a house search on Tuesday and continue to gather evidence. The suspect has not been detained.

Trinh, now in temporary accommodation in the Helsinki region, believes she was forced to leave the Maalahti house after asking too many questions about her promised work and residence permit. She said the man arranged transport to the capital after her departure.