A west African man wanted by the authorities in The Netherlands for allegedly trafficking children from Africa to Europe, where they are used as prostitutes, has been remanded in custody by the High Court.
Jackson Smith, aka Peter Kwame Sarfo, (38), who was initially detained in Ireland on foot of a domestic matter, is currently detained at Cloverhill Prison.
His extradition is being sought by the Dutch authorities who claim he is involved in the trafficking of children from Nigeria into a number of western European countries. It is claimed the children are initially brought into The Netherlands and then sent on to other countries such as Italy and Spain where they end up working as prostitutes.
At the High Court yesterday, Mr Justice Michael Peart agreed to adjourn the extradition proceedings for two weeks and remanded the man in custody to Cloverhill. No application for bail was made on the man's behalf.
Previously, the High Court heard that following his arrest and caution last week by gardaí, the man denied that he was either Peter Kwame Sarfo or Jackson Smith. However, the court was told that he subsequently told gardaí: "I am Jackson Smith." The man has also claimed that he is from Sierra Leone, in west Africa, and not from Ghana.
After the charges contained in the warrant seeking his extradition were put to him, he told gardaí: "I know nothing about this," and said, "this is not what I am wanted for", the court was also told.