A Brazilian people smuggler who used her cleaning company to traffic people into a life of modern slavery has been jailed.
Ana Lucia Martins, 50, tricked her victims, telling them they could earn £400 per week working for her in the UK.
Instead, the migrants were forced to work 12-hour shifts with no breaks for food or water.
Martins avoided detection by moving the desperate individuals to a different Airbnb every 15 days, telling them their only payment was their accommodation.
She received three years at the Old Bailey on Friday after a four-year investigation by immigration officers, the Home Office said.
Martins, of Cromwell Hill, Luton, pleaded guilty on the second day of her trial before Recorder Judge Lucas in December after initially denying assisting unlawful Immigration to a member state contrary to section 25(1) and (6) of the Immigration Act 1971.
One of her victims told the court: “A female has told me to come to the UK to work and has promised to get me a visa to work but this has not happened.
“I have been paid very little and the female has taken control of my life.”
In the rare cases where the migrants were paid, Martins would track what they were spending, how much and when.
When her victims asked to return to Brazil, she threatened them, and in one case said she knew where their family lived.
A people-smuggler turned slave boss has been jailed for 3 years.
— Home Office (@ukhomeoffice) February 16, 2026
Ana Lucia Martins used her cleaning company to traffic Brazilian nationals to the UK – promising them work and £400 per week.
But, they were forced to work 12-hour shifts with no breaks for food or water. pic.twitter.com/7qOnJprhFI
Martins will now be automatically referred for deportation consideration, the Home Office said.
Alex Norris, minister for border security and asylum, said: “This case is a prime example of the lies people smugglers sell to illegal migrants.
“Martins sold her victims a dream of a prosperous life in the UK – instead, they suffered abuse and exploitation.
“That’s why we’re restoring order and control to our border, cracking down on the incentives that draw illegal migrants to the UK and ramping up enforcement action to bring offenders like Martins to justice.”
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