Alleged child kidnapper arrested in Cork massage parlour

A man wanted in Germany for child kidnapping, illegal restraint and hostage taking was arrested by gardaí at a Cork massage parlour

A man wanted in Germany for child kidnapping, illegal restraint and hostage taking was arrested by gardaí at a Cork massage parlour, gardaí have confirmed.

The arrest was part of the international Operation Global Chain targeting human trafficking with police forces trying to detect and disrupt organised crime groups involved in, in particular, child trafficking, sexual exploitation, forced criminality and forced begging.

In all gardaí raided 166 brothels and spoke to 269 sex workers of various nationalities over the space of just one week last month.

A spokesperson estimated those 269 people equate to just a quarter of all people selling sex in the country in that week.

They said that while no victims of human trafficking were detected, the sex workers spoken to were given information and advice should they wish to speak to gardaí further.

The operation also saw 17,452 people inspected at the country's airports and seaports by gardaí and immigration officers throughout the week in case they were the victims of or involved in trafficking.

The suspected child kidnapper detained at the massage parlour in Cork under a European Arrest Warrant Arrest is currently in custody pending extradition proceedings.

Gardai also prosecuted people for purchasing sexual services and seized over €25,000 from two suspects.

As well as the week of activity, and also as part of Operation Gold Chain, the garda Organised Prostitution Investigation Unit and the Human Trafficking Investigation and Coordination Unit carried out a search in Limerick on June 30.

More than €840,000 in cash was seized and a man in his 50s was arrested. He was subsequently charged and appeared before Limerick District Court on July 2 where he was remanded on bail until October 1.