Official: Workers lured into 'slavery'

Labor officials say workers may have been drawn to a migrant labor camp by the promise of drugs and shelter.

EAST PALATKA - A migrant labor camp was raided Friday evening as part of a federal investigation into illegal dumping of raw sewage into a tributary of the St. Johns River.

The raid at Evans Labor Camp involved the Putnam County Sheriff's Office and federal agents from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Labor.

"They've found what clearly looks like EPA violations, discharging raw sewage into the environment," said sheriff's Capt. Gary Bowling.

Three people were arrested on federal charges and 78 potato field workers were interviewed. Some were arrested on unrelated, outstanding warrants.

Labor officials said they were investigating possible indentured servitude, or what one agent referred to as "modern-day slavery."

Homeless men and women are recruited through offers of room and board, including alcohol, tobacco and drugs, which they buy on credit. But they never make enough in the field to pay it off, according to an investigative summary obtained by the Palatka Daily News .

"A lot of times, they get them indebted even before they get back to the camp," said federal Special Agent Rebecca Hall.

Whether the camp will stay open is "questionable," said Sheriff Dean Kelly. The camp is owned by Ronald Evans, one of four people being sought in the investigation late Friday, agents said.

EPA officials said Evans told them by cell phone that he was in Miami.

The raid began after 4 p.m. when a red converted school bus bearing the name "Evan's Harvesting" brought workers from potato fields near Hastings back to the camp. Sheriff's SWAT team members rushed the camp, securing its eight buildings and all the workers.

In a small central shed, investigators found what appeared to be cartons of untaxed cigarettes and a cooler full of beer, as well as about 100 rocks of suspected crack cocaine. Detective Lt. John Merchant described the shed as a "shop" where the rocks were sold for $20 each.

[Last modified June 5, 2005, 02:15:25]