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Five arrested in Aberdeenshire operation
12 September 2013
Five illegal workers from Bangladesh have been arrested following a Home Office immigration enforcement operation in Buckie.
Acting on intelligence, officers visited Bengal Brasserie, Cluny Square, at 5.30pm on Tuesday 10 September. Individuals were questioned to check if they had the right to be in the UK.
Four men aged between 22 and 49 had overstayed their visas while a 35-year-old had entered the country illegally.
One of the men who had overstayed his visa, aged 31, has been detained pending removal from the country. The others have been placed on immigration bail and will also be removed from the UK if found to have no right to remain.
The business will be served a notice warning that a fine of up to £10,000 per illegal worker found will be imposed unless they can prove that the correct right-to-work checks were carried out. This is a potential total of £50,000.
Tonya Pentland, from the Scotland and Northern Ireland Home Office Immigration Enforcement team, said:
'Illegal working is not a victimless crime. It defrauds the taxpayer, undercuts honest employers and cheats legitimate job seekers out of employment opportunities.
'We are sending a clear message to employers in Scotland who choose to use illegal labour: we will find you and you will pay a heavy penalty. We will not allow the growth of a shadow economy for illegal migrants.
'We are happy to work with businesses to let them know what checks need to be made on staff, but those who break the law should know that they will face financial penalties.'
To find out more about how to avoid employing illegal workers visit our page on preventing illegal working, or call the employer's helpline on 0300 123 4699.
Contact details for Home Office immigration teams in Scotland and Northern Ireland can be found in the about us section of this website.
Anyone with information about suspected immigration abuse can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 or visit the Crimestoppers website.