One of WA’s leading strawberry suppliers could face significant penalties after allegedly being caught with 36 illegal foreign workers at one of its Perth farms.
Australian Border Force officers swooped on the headquarters of Ti Produce in Bullsbrook on Tuesday and apprehended the men and women from multiple countries who it is alleged did not have a work visa, including some who had allegedly been living in Australia illegally for years.
The ABF says the number of illegal workers who were on the property was likely to have been much higher because several fled into surrounding bush when the raid began.
Ti Produce is run by businesswoman Lam Ti Muir and her partner Jamie Michael, who is the president of the strawberry industry’s peak body, Strawberries Australia Inc.
The pair, who were at the farm during the raid, were contacted yesterday but declined to comment.
Source: thewest.com.au
