Two women who travelled to Ireland from Germany to work as prostitutes were arrested at a Limerick hotel 24 hours after arriving here, a court has heard.
Olga Folusz (40), from Poland, and Lydia Sauer (38), from Germany, pleaded guilty at Limerick District Court yesterday to allowing their rooms at the Quality Hotel, Childers Road, to be used for the purpose of prostitution on December 4th last.
Det Garda Paraig O'Dwyer told the court that the hotel manager called gardaí following concerns about suspicious activity in the women's rooms. Gardaí mounted a surveillance operation at the hotel, during which time they observed "a lot of traffic" from both rooms. When gardaí entered the rooms both women admitted they were working as prostitutes and €1,600 in cash was found in Ms Sauer's room. Some €900 was discovered in Ms Folusz's room, according to Garda evidence.
Judge Moran imposed fines totally €200 and ordered the remaining €700 of the €900 seized in room 107 be used towards the defendants' flights home and accommodation.
He ordered that the €1,600 seized in the other hotel room be forfeited and invited anyone who wished to claim ownership of it to make an application under the Police Property Act.