Finnish authorities expose berry-picking cartel linked to human trafficking

Finnish authorities have uncovered a cartel of companies involved in collecting forest berries that coordinated to keep prices artificially low and has been linked to human trafficking operations. The investigation revealed that multiple firms worked together to manipulate the berry-picking market by jointly setting below-market prices. The case highlights the exploitation of vulnerable workers, often foreign nationals, who are brought to Finland to pick berries under poor conditions while companies profit from coordinated price-fixing schemes.