A man arrested in Monaghan in early June has been remanded in custody as part of a global operation targeting human trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced criminality.
The man in his 50s was detained on June 9th at Monaghan Garda station and subsequently charged for Human Trafficking Contrary to Section 4(1) of the Criminal law (Human Trafficking) Act 2008.
The man appeared before Monaghan District Court on Wednesday, June 11th where he was remanded in custody and a file is being compiled for the Director of Public Prosecutions.
His arrest was carried out as part of Operation Global Chain, an international initiative conducted on June 1st-6th 2025, during which law enforcement partners worldwide, including An Garda Síochána, targeted organised crime groups involved in human trafficking, in particular child trafficking, for financial gain.
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The operation focused on human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation, forced criminality and forced begging.
Over the week in early June, gardaí visited 92 suspected brothels in towns and cities across Ireland. They interviewed 179 sex workers with nationalities from Brazil, Romania, Spain, China, Dominican Republic, Poland, Latvia, Colombia, Taiwan, Panama, Czech Republic, Malaysia and Ireland. No victims of human trafficking were detected during the visits.
Gardaí also inspected more than 5,400 passengers arriving into Dublin Airport on flights on Thursday, June 5th, and Friday, June 6th. Members of the Human Trafficking Investigation and Coordination Unit and the Organised Prostitution Investigation Unit were present during these inspections, according to a Garda statement.
An Garda Síochána will continue to work closely with Europol and other law enforcement partners to identify victims of human trafficking and also appealed to any potential victims to come forward and speak to them.
Any person with information on human trafficking should also contact gardaí and all contact will be treated “in the utmost confidence”, said the statement.
