Two men jailed over Donegal human trafficking case - Donegal News

Donegal human traffickers jailed

TWO Eastern European men have been sentenced to a combined 24 years in prison at Letterkenny Circuit Court following a garda investigation into human trafficking in Donegal.

The case centred on the exploitation of seven vulnerable victims who were lured to Ireland with promises of good wages, decent housing and a better life, only to be subjected to what a senior garda officer described as “miserable, slave-like conditions.”

Letterkenny-based Superintendent Siobhan Mollahan, of the Donegal North Community Engagement Area, said the investigation had exposed “appalling suffering inflicted upon seven vulnerable individuals for financial gain.”

“The offenders did not view the victims as human beings, but as slaves to be controlled and exploited for labour and profit,” she said.

The victims were forced to live in cold, damp accommodation without proper bedding. At one point, a victim was so desperate for food they were reduced to searching through bins. They also faced threats of violence and were assaulted if they failed to comply with their captors’ demands.

Supt Mollahan paid tribute to the courage of the seven victims in coming forward to speak to An Garda Síochána. “They had endured unimaginable hardship, fear and degradation over an extended period of time,” she said. “The courage that they displayed in coming forward and speaking to An Garda Síochána cannot be overstated.”

She added that their willingness to provide detailed accounts of the abuse they suffered would help encourage other victims to come forward in the future.

The investigation began in late 2022 following disclosures made directly to gardaí by the victims. It drew on personnel from the Donegal Garda Division, the Human Trafficking Investigation and Coordination Unit, and detectives from the Sligo-Leitrim division, with significant international cooperation from Europol, Eurojust and Latvian law enforcement authorities.

Supt Mollahan said the case sent a clear message: “Those who seek to exploit vulnerable people for profit will be pursued relentlessly and brought before the courts.”

She urged anyone with concerns about human trafficking or modern slavery to contact any garda station, call the confidential line on 1800 666 111, visit blueblindfold.ie , or in an emergency dial 999 or 112.

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