Lapdancing immigrants clampdown
Ten clubs were raided by gardaí on Thursday night and more than 100 staff were detained as part of Operation Quest. The clubs included Angels and Strings on Dublin’s Leeson Street, and the Great Escape in Cork city.
Club bosses could be hit with heavy penalties for hiring lapdancers who do not have proper work permits.
Under the Employment Permits Act 2003, enacted only weeks ago, employers can be summarily fined up to €3,000 and/or given a prison sentence not exceeding 12 months.
If convicted on indictment before a higher court, they can be fined up to €250,000 and/or imprisoned for up to 10 years.
Gardaí will be interviewing the owners of the 10 clubs as part of the investigation.
“The operation was carried out following complaints that girls were being exploited, and that employers were not complying with the legislation,” said a detective involved in the operation.
Late last year, the Department of Enterprise suspended indefinitely the issuing of new work permits or the renewal of existing work permits for lapdancers.
The move followed a number of complaints that lapdancers were being exploited in the clubs.
Thursday’s operation, led by Assistant Commissioner Kevin Carty, targeted a number of clubs in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Dundalk.
More than 100 staff in the clubs, who could not provide documentation, were detained at garda stations.
A small minority of those arrested were charged under the Aliens Order 1946 for being in the country without work permits. The remainder were released without charge after producing documentation satisfying gardaí of their identities.
Detectives believe many lapdancers are exploiting a loophole in the education system which allows people enrolled in language schools to work for 20 hours.
Gardaí suspect that a number of these schools are bogus institutions and are being used as a means of supplying lapdancers.
“A lot of them are claiming they are going to college here,” said a detective.
“There’s a question of whether some of the schools are legitimate. All that is being looked into.”
A garda spokesman said some of those detained had their registration status withdrawn, and that a number of others were having their status reviewed.
He said cash, drugs, and a firearm were seized in the raids and in follow-on searches of apartments.
Ruhama Women’s Project, which works with prostitutes, welcomed the operation and called for all lapdancing clubs to be closed down, claiming many were brothels in all but name.
