10 arrested in raid on lap dancing club

GARDAÍ arrested 10 people during a raid on a lap dancing club in Dublin city centre over the weekend.

The search was part of Operation Quest, a nationwide initiative targeting the employment status of foreign women working as lap dancers.

Immigration officers and gardaí attached to Store Street Station carried out the raid on Honeyz lap dance club on Capel Street late on Saturday night.

A garda spokesman yesterday said: “The premises, located at Capel Street, was searched under warrant issued under Section 2(5) of the Employment Permits Act, 2003.

“Detectives from the Garda National Immigration Bureau assisted by Gardaí from DMR North Central Division carried out the search as part of Operation Quest.”

He said nine women and one man were arrested.

“One of the women has been detained pending deportation from the State. The remaining nine were released.”

The spokesman said investigations were continuing. He could not say whether or not the nine had proper documentation and were entitled to work.

Gardaí will prepare a file to the Director of Public Prosecutions in relation to any employees found to be in breach of the Employment Permits Act.

Under the Act, employees who do not have a work permit could be summarily fined up to €3,000 and/or given a prison sentence not exceeding 12 months.

Employers who employ people who do not have a work permit face the same penalty.

Employers, but not employees, can also be charged on indictment before a higher court. If convicted, they can be fined up to €250,000 and/or imprisoned for up to 10 years.

It is understood that gardaí know the managers of Honeyz from their involvement in previous lap dancing enterprises.

Honeyz is located where the well-known Slattery’s pub used to be.

Last June 10 lap dance clubs were targeted under the then newly-established Operation Encounter.

Around 100 people were arrested in the nationwide operation, which swooped on clubs in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Dundalk. At the end of 2002, the Department of Enterprise suspended indefinitely the issuing of new work permits or the renewal of existing work permits for lap dancers.