A Florida couple has been charged with recruiting black men from homeless shelters in Southern cities to work at remote labor camps, where they were sold crack cocaine at inflated prices to keep them bound to their jobs, the Naples Daily News reported Sept. 23.

Ron Evans Sr. and Jequita Evans were recently found guilty of conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine and tax-evasion charges, while Evans Sr. was also found guilty of engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise that distributed crack cocaine. A Florida group called the Coalition of Immokalee Workers helped expose the workings of the North Florida and North Carolina camps, where workers were sold crack and beer -- often on credit -- and then compelled to work off their mounting debts.

Evans Sr. reportedly recruited men from shelters in Tampa, Orlando, Miami, and New Orleans, offering food and shelter and $50 per week. Workers were sold crack, beer and cigarettes every weekday after dinner at a company store; those without cash could get an advance on their paycheck to buy drugs. Investigators found that after all their expenses were deducted, workers at the camps were getting paid about 30 cents per hour.

"These people were offering an unending stream of crack," said Rev. Steven Porter, a Miami minister who works with homeless residents. "They were playing upon their weaknesses and addictions. The vast majority of the workers were African-American. Ron Evans and his family were African-American  ... The crew leader was stacking the deck to where he could control people."