A Finnish court has sentenced the former chief executive of wild berry company Polarica to two years and six months in prison after finding him guilty of 78 counts of human trafficking involving Thai berry pickers. The ruling concerns the exploitation of Thai workers who travelled to Finland in 2022 to collect wild berries under conditions the court determined amounted to forced labour.
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The Lapland District Court delivered its verdict on 9 June, sentencing Jukka Kristo, the former CEO of Polarica, for human trafficking offences linked to the recruitment and employment of Thai workers. The court found that the workers had been misled about their expected earnings and actual working conditions before travelling to Finland.
Thai coordinator Kallayakorn “Durian” Phongphit was also convicted on 78 counts of human trafficking and sentenced to nine months in prison. The court reduced her sentence because she had already received a three-year prison term last year in a separate human trafficking case involving another wild berry company.
Finnish public media has described the case as the largest human trafficking case in the country’s history. Dozens of Thai workers were identified as victims.
During the trial, the court heard that the workers were recruited from Thailand and encouraged to travel to Finland to pick naturally growing wild berries. Upon arrival, they became responsible for travel expenses, accommodation costs and other charges, leaving many in debt from the outset.
Although the workers reportedly laboured long hours with little or no time off, the court found that they retained very little income after deductions. It also determined that some accommodation provided was overcrowded and of poor quality, while charges for lodging were unreasonably high.
Most of the workers had only primary school education and spoke only Thai, limiting their access to information and assistance. The court concluded that their financial dependence and lack of alternatives left them with little choice but to continue working, resulting in conditions that constituted forced labour under Finnish law.
The court also imposed a five-year business ban on Kristo and stripped him of his military rank. Kristo, Phongphit and Polarica were ordered to jointly pay approximately EUR500,000 in compensation to the victims for financial losses and emotional suffering, as well as roughly EUR400,000 in legal costs. Polarica was additionally fined EUR150,000.
Both defendants continue to deny the allegations and may appeal the ruling. Prosecutors have also indicated they will appeal, seeking a five-year prison sentence as originally requested.
ThaiRath reported that Finnish authorities are continuing broader scrutiny of the wild berry industry, which relies heavily on foreign workers, particularly from Thailand. The case follows a separate investigation in late May which found that several berry companies, including Polarica, may have cooperated in fixing berry purchase prices between 2013 and 2023, potentially suppressing workers’ earnings.
Picture courtesy of ThaiRath
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Adapted by ASEAN Now ThaiRath 10 June 2026