A Somali official has been accused of smuggling multiple women into Ireland, raising concerns about the growing sophistication of international traffickers
A Somali diplomat has been charged with smuggling women into Ireland, raising concerns about the growing sophistication of international smuggling networks.
The official, who was based in Saudi Arabia, is accused of smuggling multiple women into the state between September and November before he was arrested.
His detention at Dublin airport last November after arriving on a flight from Abu Dhabi has intensified scrutiny on how smugglers are exploiting official channels to move people across borders. He remains in custody at Cloverhill prison.
Last year, immigration officers charged 27 individuals with human smuggling offences, reflecting the increasing challenge posed by organized gangs. The rise follows legislative changes that strengthened the garda’s ability to prosecute suspects.
Authorities have escalated efforts to tackle trafficking networks as part of a broader government initiative to combat illegal immigration and remove those unlawfully in the state.
Last Thursday the Department of Justice deported 32 Georgian nationals who had refused to leave Ireland voluntarily, with more deportation flights planned in the coming months.
The removals coincide with a sharp increase in the issuance of deportation orders. The number of deportation orders signed last year surged to 2,403 — a 180 per cent increase from 2023, when 857 orders were issued.
Since January 703 deportation orders have been signed, indicating that the state is taking significant actions against illegal migrants.
In addition to enforced removals, immigration officials are using other mechanisms to expel undocumented individuals, the department says. Last year 1,116 people left Ireland under these measures, up 252 per cent from 2023, while 311 individuals have left so far this year after receiving removal orders.
Figures from the justice department show that Georgians, Algerians and Brazilians accounted for most deportation orders signed last year, while the majority of individuals actually deported were of Georgian, South African or Albanian origin.
The removal of illegal migrants comes as Ireland steps up its efforts to stop people entering illegally by increasing its surveillance capabilities at points of entry to the state.
Surveillance at Rosslare Europort in Wexford has been intensified, with gardai targeting Albanian and other eastern European gangs smuggling people from Belgium, France and Spain into Ireland for onward transport to the UK. British immigration officers have been seconded to work with gardai in Dublin to co-ordinate responses.
Pressure is mounting on the Department of Justice to reinforce Ireland’s stance on human smuggling through tighter border controls and closer co-operation with European and global agencies. Ireland’s common travel area with the UK and its EU access make it an attractive transit hub for traffickers moving people from Europe, the Balkans and the Middle East. Gardai are also continuing to mount checkpoints in the border region to stop the flow of people entering both the Republic and Britain by crossing the border.
A spokesman for Jim O’Callaghan, the justice minister, said chartered deportation flights had been recommended to ensure that an increased number of deportation orders were enforced and the effectiveness of the returns system was improved.
“This is the first operation conducted under a contract signed by the state last November for the provision of charter aircraft for these purposes,” the spokesman said. “Further operations will be conducted as the year progresses.”
