Maros Tancos and Joanna Gomulska, both 46, were the ringleaders of a Bristol modern slavery and human trafficking operation, convincing vulnerable people to travel from Slovakia to work for them.
Tancos would recruit victims using his connections to orphanages and camps in Slovakia, promising them transportation, a place to live, food, and a better life.
Victims were told they would receive half of their monthly wages, with the other half going towards food and living expenses.
When the victims arrived, they were kept in squalor in the couple’s three-bedroom home in Brentry Lane, Bristol, and forced to work for free. They claimed they were locked in the house and had their identity documents and cellphones taken away.
Tancos’ co-conspirator, Gomulska, assisted with transportation arrangements in the UK. She would take their identification documents and keep them until they were required for applications such as National Insurance numbers or bank accounts.
Gomulska accompanied victims to appointments and acted as an interpreter before taking their bank cards and pin numbers.
Victims would work at Tancos’ car wash during the day and then be transferred to other jobs at night. Among these were catching chickens, packing milk, and sorting packages.
Tancos and Gomulska were found to have failed to pay a minimum of £923,835 in wages, calculated as if Tancos had paid his victims the minimum wage for eight hours a day. They also transferred nearly £300,000 from their victims’ accounts, which they earned while working at secondary jobs.
Tancos and Gomulska’s living expenses, online and in-person gambling, and used cars consumed the entire sum.
Tancos was said to be violent towards victims, with some being threatened or hit. They claimed they were afraid to leave the property and were frequently locked inside.
Officers from the National Crime Agency launched an investigation in 2017 and traced Tancos and Gomulska’s crimes back to 2010. The couple was watched as they drove their victims to and from the car wash and other manual jobs around Bristol.
Specialist officers interviewed 42 victims, and 29 testified in court about the abuse they endured. Victims described their time with the defendants as “catastrophic,” claiming Tancos humiliated, hit, and punished them. Another described returning to Slovakia after becoming pregnant, with her child being born malnourished and suffering epileptic fits due to a lack of funds to bring back from the UK for food.
One victim described the house as a “gate to hell” and stated that they were not permitted to leave. “The only thing I knew was work,” they said. I was under the impression that I was a slave there the entire time. “I thought there was no turning back.”
Tancos and Gomulska denied a number of modern slavery and human trafficking charges, but they were convicted in April 2022 after a nearly three-month trial that included testimony from 15 victims.
They were sentenced today in the same court. Tancos was sentenced to 16 years in prison, while Gomulska was sentenced to nine years. Tancos was also subjected to a Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Order (STPO). Judge Picton praised the NCA team’s efforts.
Our investigation has put these two cruel abusers behind bars for a long time,” NCA Branch Commander Colin Williams said. Despite promises of a better life in the UK, Tancos and Gomulska’s vulnerable victims were kept as prisoners and treated with contempt.
“Victim testimonies revealed the mental and physical scars they still bear as a result of the couple’s treatment.”
“The NCA’s top priority is to combat human trafficking and modern slavery, and we hope that this result brings some closure to the victims.”
Rachel Maclean, Minister for Child Protection, stated:
“Tackling modern slavery is a top priority for me, and we must ensure that victims receive the assistance they require to begin rebuilding their lives, and that criminals who cruelly exploit people for commercial gain face prosecution.”
We have given law enforcement the authority and resources to take on gangs that profit from modern slavery, and these criminals have now been brought to justice thanks to the incredible work of the NCA.
If you have concerns about modern slavery in a business or for an individual, call the Modern Slavery Helpline at 08000 121 700 or the police at 101.
