Ireland used as base to smuggle Ukrainians to UK

Ireland has been used as a transit base to smuggle at least 6,000 Ukrainians into Britain over the past two years, according to Spanish police who have smashed a gang which supplied them with fake Polish passports.

Spanish National Police said the investigation — named operation Kolso — was launched after 56 Ukrainian migrants were detained at 12 Spanish airports for carrying fake documents, which cost them anything between €300 and €1,500.

The majority of them were booked on flights to Dublin.