Lawsuit alleges some Costco-labeled shrimp caught by slaves "whipped with toxic stingray tails" [View all]

[Miles Archer]

Federal lawsuit demands Costco label shrimp packaging 'product of slavery'

http://www.reviewjournal.com/business/retail/federal-lawsuit-demands-costco-label-shrimp-packaging-product-slavery

?itok=ztyQjboU

The lawsuit, which also wants Costco to stop buying shrimp from its suppliers in Thailand, was filed in California. It alleges that Costco is deceiving customers by not including an advisory about slavery on product packaging.

The plaintiffs claim that the United Nations and the U.S. State Department have established that Thai shrimp producers depend on slave labor.

According to the suit, Thai shrimp commonly sold in the United States comes from farms, and is not fished in the wild. But the feed for the farmed shrimp comes from the slave-staffed fishing boats known as "ghost ships."

Workers on those boats are kept in cages to prevent them from escaping, the suit claims. The workers are whipped with toxic stingray tails and shocked with Taser-like devices, according to the suit.