Five individuals were arrested in a country-wide police bust, following an investigation into reports of human trafficking, money laundering and organised crime.
The actions were directed against Davíð Viðarsson, owner of Vy-þrif, Wok On, Pho Vietnam and Kastali Guesthouse, among other businesses.
On Tuesday, March 5, 100 police officers raided multiple locations across the country. Multiple municipal and government institutions were involved in the actions, including the Directorate of Immigration; the Directorate of Labour; City of Reykjavík‘s Welfare Department, Health Authority, and Child Services; Kópavogur and Hafnarfjörður Child and Social Services; the capital region Fire Services; the Icelandic Confederation of Labour; and centre for victims of violence Bjarkarhlíð.
Davíð is suspected of gross mistreatment of his employees. The police investigation can be traced back to 2023, when the Reykjavík Health Authority wrote up Vy-þrif for storing food in unsanitary and harmful conditions in a Sóltún basement. Investigating the matter, the Health Authority reported rat droppings amongst the food and evidence of human habitation in the storage unit.
All Wok On locations and Kastali Guesthouse have been closed.
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