Maros Tankos and Joanna Gomulska trafficked at least 29 vulnerable people to the UK, some of whom grew up in orphanages in Slovakia after being promised a better life. In fact, they were held as “detainees” on the property and faced beatings and death threats. The victims were forced to work for free at the Tancos car wash in Bristol before moving on to other jobs at night, with the couple spending their victims’ wages on cars and gambling. One victim was forced to work in the car wash with a broken arm, while another fled after becoming pregnant and giving birth to a malnourished baby. Prosecutors said the “really painful case” lasted almost a decade, with the victims “undergoing a life of misery to fill the pockets of two unscrupulous people”. Tancos, 45, and 46-year-old Gomulska were convicted in Bristol Crown court on Wednesday after being convicted of modern-day slavery offenses in April after a three-month trial. Tankos was jailed for 16 years and Gomulska was sentenced to nine years in prison. Image: Tancos (pictured) and Gomulska were convicted of modern-day slavery offenses in April. Photo: NCA Image: Gomulska and her partner Tancos have been described as “ruthless people”. Photo: NCA “Multiple reports of violence” Mark Morrison, senior investigator at the National Crime Agency (NCA), told Sky News that the victims were living in “misery” at their home in Bristol, with dirty mattresses on the floor and “disgusting, dirty carpets, blankets and bedding”. The victims – aged in their late teens to their 30s – were mostly men and could not speak English, including one who was threatened with death if he tried to escape. The three-bedroom house would have up to 10 people living in it at a time, with Tancos and Gomulska locking them in when the couple went out. Image: The living conditions of the victims in Bristol. Photo: NCA Mr Morrison said: “There have been multiple reports of violence against them with beatings. “The mental anguish that these men and women have gone through is absolutely disgusting.” Tankos, originally from Slovakia, had links to orphanages in his home country and had a “ready stock” of vulnerable victims, Morrison said. Image: Some victims lived in these conditions in Slovakia and were promised a better life in the United Kingdom. Photo: NCA Image: The miserable living conditions of some victims in Slovakia before moving to the United Kingdom. Photo: NCA How the traffickers were caught The victims were transported to the United Kingdom from Slovakia and Hungary with the promise of a better life, but were under the control of Tancos and Gomulska from the moment they arrived, according to the Crown Prosecution Service. Tancos had told his victims that they could keep half of their salary each month, while the other half would be kept for rent and boarding. In fact, the victims did not receive any money and their profits were spent by the defendants. The couple took victims’ IDs, phone numbers and bank cards and opened their bank accounts with them, while applying for loans and credit cards in their name. Between 2010 and 2017, nearly .000 300,000 was transferred from victims’ accounts, the NCA said. Tankos also failed to pay his victims 9 923,000 in the car wash – the amount they would have earned if they had received the minimum wage during the infringement period, the agency added. Picture: The car wash in Bristol. Photo: NCA The NCA was first notified by authorities in Slovakia in 2017 that one of its citizens had “escaped from servitude” from an address in Bristol, Mr Morrison said. It sparked an investigation in February 2017 and Tancos and Gomulska were arrested in July of that year. Five victims – all Slovak men – were inside the property on the day of the arrests. “Endless cycle of abuse” Senior Special Prosecutor Ruona Iguyovwe said: “This is a really painful exploitation case that spans almost a decade, where people have been trafficked and subjected to a life of misery to fill the pockets of two unscrupulous people. “Referred to at home as a ‘gate to hell’, a victim’s account shows how trapped they felt, unable to seek help without ID, locked in the house and threatened.” NCA industry chief Colin Williams said Tankos and Gomulska “treated their victims as assets, taking advantage of their hope for a better life for themselves and their families to keep them in an endless cycle of abuse.” ». “They were prisoners,” he added. “The experiences shared in court showed how mentally broken the couple left them. “These people came from poor backgrounds in the UK with optimism, but instead took advantage of their vulnerability. “While suffering, Tancos and Gomulska spent their victims’ wages on gambling and cars.”
