"The victims were forced to make firewood from logs and package horse manure, which the accused later sold," prosecutor Elle Keeman said.

According to Eesti Ekspress, the accused are businessman Peeter Kaares and his three sons, Kevin, Kert and Kaido.

Based on the evidence collected, the accused men allegedly held the victims against their will and forced them to work from December 2020 until March of last year, a period of approximately four years.

"The woman escaped the situation in December 2024 and the man in March last year. Over the four years, they worked on properties in both Viljandi and Pärnu counties that belonged to one of the accused. The evidence gathered so far indicates that the accused earned €150,000 in criminal profit by exploiting the victims," Keeman said.

According to information obtained during the investigation, one of the accused took the victims' documents and restricted their contact with relatives. One victim also had their bank card taken, which another of the accused used to withdraw the victim's pension payments. He has also been charged with computer fraud in connection with this.

"In addition to the work, the victims were forced to live in uninhabitable conditions and were not provided with adequate food. They had no access to phones or their income, meaning they were unable to seek help or change their situation in any way," the prosecutor added.

Nigolas Saarnak, head of the narcotics and organized crime unit of the West Prefecture, said the investigation grew far beyond the initial tip and took longer than expected.

"Human trafficking is often imagined as something cinematic — smuggling across borders, forcing people into prostitution or extreme enslavement. In reality, it is a much broader issue that requires close cooperation between different agencies," Saarnak explained.

The victims are currently receiving the necessary state support to recover from their traumatic experiences.

Eesti Ekspress writes that Peeter Kaares has had multiple run-ins with the courts over the years, with a history of tax fraud dating back to the 1990s. Among other things, he was the first person in Estonia to be convicted of tax fraud.

In 2011, Eesti Ekspress reported that the Tartu County Court found Kaares, his wife Janika and his mother Aino guilty of defrauding the Health Insurance Fund of more than 6.8 million kroons. Kaares, who had spent a year in pretrial detention, and his family members avoided prison through a plea agreement, receiving suspended sentences and a five-year ban on business activities.

The first hearing in the human trafficking and computer fraud case is scheduled to take place at the Pärnu County Court on April 27.

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