5 arrested in modern day slave camp in England

The five men arrested for holding a modern day slave labor camp are still being questioned bye British police. After a raid on a site north west of London, British police rescued 24 men living in terrible conditions. Police were alerted to the situation after receiving several tips, reports CBC.

The raid, which was carried out on Sunday, involved more than 200 police officers, and representatives from various agencies, after an extensive investigation, reports the BBC.

There was no running water or electricity. The men hadn't had hair cuts and were wearing dirty clothes. Many were close to starvation. Police said that all were "believed to be victims of slavery" and may have been there for over 15 years, reports CBC. According to the BBC, the men were found in sheds and horse boxes. Weapons and drugs were also found at the site. The 24 men were taken to a medical center to be examined.

Nine of the men rescued in the raid have chosen not to support the police investigation, reports CBC.

Four of the five people in custody, are still being questioned, and are scheduled for a court hearing Tuesday morning. Three of them are brothers, and the fifth is a woman, who has been released on bail as she is pregnant. She will be questioned after the birth of her child, according to a statement by the police. Two additional suspects are still at large, reports the BBC.

If found guilty, they will be charged under a new British anti-slavery law which states that anyone holding someone in servitude will serve up to 14 years in prison.

"Those people who we continue to help are appreciative of the support that is on offer, but it will take some time to work through with them what has happened," Detective Chief Inspector Sean O'Neil said in a statement. 28 people had been making claims about the site since 2008, the BBC reports.

According to the BBC, the men, some of whom had problems such as alcoholism, were recruited from places like soup kitchens. They were lured to a trailer park, promised food, shelter, and pay. However, when they got to the park, the men were forced into hard labor, and threatened with violence.

They "were made to perform labor, rather than being given proper food and proper wages for their labors," O Neill said to the CBC.

There have been nearly 1,500 cases of slavery and human trafficking reported in the past two years, according the United Kingdom Human Trafficking Centre.