Ireland Deports 33 People in Charter Flight Over Criminal Activity

Dublin: Ireland has deported 33 individuals, including people who entered the country from Poland and Lithuania, after they were found to be involved in a range of criminal offences, Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan has confirmed.

The group was removed on a chartered flight that departed Dublin Airport at 12.30pm yesterday, stopping first in Warsaw before continuing to Vilnius. Gardaí said the deportees included 31 men and two women, with 20 of them currently serving custodial sentences. The remaining 13 had been arrested and detained.

Those deported were linked to offences including driving without insurance, sexual assault, drug-related crimes and involvement in organised criminal activity.

The Department of Justice said the charter flight cost €122,000. Garda officers, medical personnel, two interpreters and a human rights observer were also on board, though the department did not disclose the additional costs associated with these personnel.

Under the EU Free Movement Directive, citizens of Poland and Lithuania have the right to live in Ireland. However, the Minister for Justice may issue removal or exclusion orders where an EU citizen or family member is deemed to pose a risk to public policy, security or public health.

Minister O’Callaghan said the government would act decisively where the rules are breached, stressing that individuals who pose a danger to society would be deported. He also underlined that the vast majority of Polish and Lithuanian nationals living in Ireland are law-abiding residents who make a positive contribution to Irish society.

Last year, 56 people were deported under the Free Movement Directive, compared with 18 removals in 2024. In a separate operation last year, 23 Romanian nationals were also deported on a chartered flight.

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