A man has been arrested in Co Wexford by gardaí investigating the smuggling of 14 people into Ireland hidden in a freight container earlier this month.
The migrants were found in refrigerated container that arrived at Rosslare Europort on January 8th. They were struggling to breath and had cut a hole in the side of the container to allow in air.
On Wednesday, gardaí announced they have arrested a male aged in his 30s as part of their investigation. It is understood he is being held on suspicion of facilitating the smuggling operation.
A garda spokesman said the suspect is being held at a Garda station in the southeast of the country in relation to an alleged offence under the Criminal Justice (Smuggling of Persons) Act 2021.
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The Act criminalises aiding people to enter the State illegally, either by providing transport or false documents.
Investigators are working to establish if the incident relates to human trafficking or people smuggling. Under law, human trafficking relates to the smuggling of people into the country for exploitation such as prostitution or forced labour.
People smuggling involves facilitating those who want to enter Ireland illegally and by consent, usually in return for payment.
The investigation was launched after 10 Kurdish people from Iran and Iraq, including two girls aged six and four years, as well one person from Turkey and three people from Vietnam were discovered on the vessel, coming from Zeebrugge in Belgium.
The nine men, three women and two girls were medically assessed and deemed to be in good health after being met by gardaí and ambulance personnel.
It is understood that during the voyage one of the migrants made a distress call to the UK Coastguard which in turn alerted Irish authorities. The captain of the ship was also alerted and he ordered a search of the ship once it docked in Rosslare.
The migrants were taken into care by the International Protectional Accommodation Service and Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. A number of them later left State care. The Department of Justice said they are not accused of any crime and there is no obligation on those seeking international protection to remain in State accommodation.
The investigation is being led by Wexford gardaí with the assistance of the Garda National Immigration Bureau and international police forces, including Europol.
“Anyone with any information in relation to this incident, no matter how insignificant it may appear, is asked to contact Wexford Garda station 053-9165200, the Garda Confidential Line 1800 66 11 or any Garda station,” a Garda spokesman said earlier this month.
