Confiscation order for hotel owner who trafficked men from Bangladesh

Shamsul Arefin, 50, was jailed for three years in 2015 after he was found guilty of human trafficking.

He has now been ordered to repay nearly £100,000 made through his exploitation of four men while owner of a hotel in Argyll.

Mr Arefin recruited the men from Bangladesh with promises of employment and a salary which could help them improve their lives. They were told to pay him substantial sums of money in return for the jobs and the victims sold family valuables, took loans, and used their savings to raise the money.

On arrival the men found their salaries were substantially lower to those they had been promised, they were working excessively long hours, and their duties were far beyond what they expected. Their pay left the men unable to repay the debts they had accrued, with one being threatened that his kidney would be removed as a result of his inability to pay.

Mr Arefin made substantial amounts of money through his exploitation of his victims.

A confiscation order for £93,443 was granted at Fort William Sheriff Court yesterday.

Procurator fiscal for specialist casework, Liam Murphy, said: “Arefin took advantage of vulnerable people for his own financial gain, making significant amounts of money from the suffering of others.

“Our proceeds of crime team have been working to ensure Arefin will not be able to keep the money he made by trafficking people into labour.”