Captured following a joint investigation by the Garda National Immigration Bureau, gardaí in Wexford and Romanian police, three leaders of the Roma gang were convicted of organised crime, money laundering and possession of firearms. The gang members had returned to Romania from Ireland and were tried there largely on the basis of evidence gathered by gardaí. The trafficking involved 28 people – including one child – being brought to Wexford, where they were paid low wages and required to work long hours in a controlled environment to pay off a supposed debt of €2,500. These people were threatened, beaten and sometimes held at gunpoint. The gang leader has been sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment, while his two co-accused received sentences of five years. Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern TD congratulated gardaí for their “tireless efforts” to combat human trafficking. “The Government is committed to the continued development of an overall strategy to proactively and comprehensively address the issue of human trafficking, utilising all the resources of the State, including An Garda Síochána,” he said. “Our aim is to make Ireland a more hostile environment for those who might consider trafficking people into, out of, and within the jurisdiction.”
THREE MEMBERS of a Roma crime gang were imprisoned last week for trafficking their fellow countrymen into Ireland for labour exploitation.
