Helsinki cleaning company owner suspected of large-scale extortion and human trafficking

A Helsinki cleaning company owner and an employee are suspected of extorting over €100,000 from more than 20 Asian workers in exchange for jobs and residence permits, Yle Uutiset reports. Police have completed their investigation into the case, which includes charges of aggravated extortion, illegal threats, and facilitating unlawful entry into Finland.

The suspects allegedly demanded around €5,000 per worker for employment in the Finnish company and assistance with residence permits. Most workers were given only a few hours of work per day despite their permits being based on full-time contracts, according to police.

Investigators say some victims were forced to find other jobs or leave the country. One worker was reportedly threatened with the abduction of their child in their home country after speaking out about the exploitation on social media—though the post did not name the company or its owner.

The Helsinki Police’s work-related human trafficking unit has investigated the case for the past year. The suspects have been held in pre-trial detention, and prosecutors filed charges in late April, seeking three-year prison sentences.

Police clarify that this investigation is unrelated to previous probes into other Helsinki-based cleaning companies.