Czech Gang’s Brutal Exploitation of Migrants in UK Restaurants
In a shocking case of modern slavery, a group of migrants found themselves trapped in a life of forced labor and abuse, working long hours for insignificant pay in restaurants across London and Cambridgeshire. Led by Zdenek Drevenak, 47, and his brother Ernest Drevenak, 46, the Czech gang exploited vulnerable drug addicts and homeless individuals, turning them into slaves over a period of seven years.
Living Conditions and Exploitation
The victims were housed in squalid conditions, some in freezing sheds equipped only with a tarp held down by gym weights, while others lived in static caravans or bleak rooms in rented properties. Roman Landa, a 45-year-old victim, described his living conditions: “It was very cold and there was no heating or water. We did at least all have a bed, and sometimes I was allowed to have a shower at Ernest’s house. But outside of work, we did nothing. We kept to ourselves.”
These individuals were subjected to horrific violence and threats if they dared to consider escape. Roman recounted the fear he lived with daily: “They had taken my passport and locked it inside a safe. I didn’t speak English and was afraid to go to the police. They said they would kill me if I tried to escape.”
Victim Stories
Roman Landa was lured to Britain in 2016 and forced to work long hours at a McDonald’s drive-thru in Cambridgeshire. He was told he needed to work at least 12 hours a day, six days a week. Despite his hard work, he received very little money in return. Roman estimated that his labor earned the gang around £90,000 over the four years he worked with them.
They are pigs and they don’t care about anyone but themselves. All they care about is money, money, money.
Roman Landa, victim
Other victims faced similar circumstances. Some worked at pitta bread factories or car washes, while many were confined to sheds in Zdenek’s garden in Enfield, where conditions were even worse. Described by Detective Constable James Kelly of the Met’s modern slavery unit, the sheds had no heating, no running water, and a leaking roof, covered with a blue tarp secured by gym weights.
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One victim was shot in the leg, and when she sought medical help, gang members misled her into thinking the NHS would amputate her leg, causing her to discharge herself.
