Joubere in Park Royal targeted by Border Agency

Eight illegal workers have been arrested following a UK Border Agency raid on a food processing plant in Acton.

Officers visited the premises of Joubère on Dukes Road in Acton on the morning of Thursday 7 October, where they questioned staff to ensure they had the right to work in the UK and examined staff records. 

The eight men - five Indians, a Sri Lankan, a Brazilian and a Palestinian - were arrested for a variety of immigration offences. The majority are suspected of supplying forged or counterfeit identity documents to gain employment. 

The UK Border Agency will now work to remove them from the UK. 

Their employers could now face a fine of up to £10,000 per illegal worker, unless they can prove that they carried out the correct right-to-work checks on their staff. 

UK Border Agency Immigration Inspector Dick Stratton said: 

“This is just the latest in a series of operations we’ve carried out to tackle immigration crime in this area, and more are planned.

“Illegal working has a serious impact on communities, taking jobs from those who are genuinely allowed to work. Businesses which operate outside the law should be warned that they will be found and they will be punished.

”The individuals who we have arrested today we will now take action to remove.”

Employers unsure of the steps they need to take to avoid employing illegal workers can call the UK Border Agency’s Employers Helpline on 0300 123 4699. 

Every year, the UK Border Agency imposes civil penalties on thousands of companies which fail to carry out the necessary right-to-work checks on their staff.

October 8, 2010