Women trafficked into State will not be deported, says Ahern

MINISTER FOR Justice Dermot Ahern yesterday moved to assure women who may have been trafficked that they would not be deported.

This followed the Garda’s Operation Abbey, which on Wednesday uncovered an organised crime gang suspected of bringing women into Ireland to work in a prostitution ring.

“I can assure you I won’t be signing any deportation orders in respect of people who are the subject of possible human trafficking,” Mr Ahern said yesterday.

Legislation would soon be passed which would put a “reflection and recovery period” in place for those who are the subject of trafficking. They would be required to co-operate with gardaí, Mr Ahern said.

The Minister also confirmed that a full file of the Garda inquiry into Sophie Toscan du Plantier’s killing in Co Cork 12 years ago had been sent to the French embassy in Dublin.

This followed authorisation from a District Court judge yesterday to pass it on to French authorities.

Mr Ahern was answering questions at Wheatfield Prison where he was inspecting the enhanced screening measures and dog drug teams.

The dog teams mean visitors are not coming under pressure to bring drugs into prisons and it has impeded the flow of illicit drugs, said the chief officer of the unit.

Some difficulties in using mobile phone blocking technology in prisons near residential areas was acknowledged by Mr Ahern. However, he said the mobile blocking pilot scheme at Portlaoise prison had been “very successful” and he intended “to roll it out through the rest of the prisons as appropriate”.