3 people arrested in major sex trafficking probe

Gardaí are hopeful of bringing charges against suspected members of a major sex trafficking gang arrested as part of an international police operation.

Garda sources said the three arrested — two men and a woman — included “major players” in the gang, which was targeted following an extensive investigation involving six police agencies.

The three arrested are all Polish nationals and are suspected of being involved in the organised trafficking of women for prostitution.

Detectives attached to Operation Quest, the long-running operation into organised prostitution and human trafficking, are in the process of trying to identify women trafficked.

In a co-ordinated swoop, detectives searched eight premises, five in Dublin, two in Dundalk, and one in Athlone. Two men, aged 29 and 34, and a woman, aged 33, were arrested.

Items including mobile phones, electronic devices, and documentation were confiscated for examination.

The man arrested in Athlone was subsequently released without charge.

The other two people were detained under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act 2007.

Operation Quest officers are liaising with Europol, Interpol, the PSNI, the Serious Organised Crime Agency in England, and the Human Trafficking Centre Central Investigations Bureau in Warsaw in attempts to identify the victims.