Two Filipinos file new illegal recruitment, detention complaint vs Italian national in Batangas

Two Filipinos have filed a new criminal complaint in Batangas against an Italian national already facing multiple human trafficking cases in other cities, accusing him of illegal recruitment, serious illegal detention, and harassment.

In a sworn complaint-affidavit submitted to the Tanauan City Prosecutor's Office, Maria Anne Castro and Jim Brian De Chavez alleged that Italian national Adel En Nouri, his associate Mohammed En Nouri, and several Filipino cohorts duped them into paying P160,000 for non-existent jobs in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and later forced them to work as online recruiters under threats and intimidation.

According to the complainants, they were recruited through the Facebook page of “Tamber International Placement Agency,” which promised restaurant staff positions in the UAE with a monthly salary of P65,000. After paying the required fees, they were ordered to report to an office in Tanauan City for supposed job training. Instead, they were forced to surrender their cellphones and were made to work 18-hour shifts as online recruiters for the same agency.

The affiants claimed that the En Nouris — introduced to them as their “employers” — subjected them to verbal abuse and coercion. They added that they were threatened with losing the money they paid if they refused to work.

Castro and De Chavez said they eventually escaped on December 31, 2024 and later learned that the Tamber International Placement Agency did not have a recruitment license. Their discovery was supported by certification from the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) dated February 14, 2025.

The new complaint deepens the legal troubles of Adel, reportedly a corporate executive of the luxury Harrods Department Store in Knightsbridge, West London, as he has been named in several other criminal actions. He is already facing qualified human trafficking charges before the Bacoor City Prosecutor’s Office. A similar complaint was also filed against him at the Pasay City Prosecutor's Office by two Filipino women who claimed they were forced to perform online sex shows.

Last October, two other individuals likewise filed additional charges of qualified human trafficking and serious illegal detention against Adel and Mohammed.