The warning comes after the sentencing of Co Armagh men Daniel Loughran, 36, and Eoin Nolan, 53, for their part in a migrant smuggling operation. The pair tried to transport ten immigrants including eight children from Belgium to the UK on 5 March 2020.
The court heard the operation was connected to former GAA player Wayne Sherlock who was jailed in June 2022. Each migrant was charged 18,000 euros to be hidden in a lorry under a dummy load. Loughran from Newtownhamilton was sentenced to five and a half years in prison, while Nolan received four years and has already served time under custody and curfew.
National Crime Agency Branch Commander David Cunningham said Ireland was becoming a common route for illegal crossings. “The Republic is becoming a favoured route and we are working closely with An Garda Siochana to deal with this,” he said.
Cunningham criticised the gang for showing no concern for the welfare of the migrants, describing them as a commodity and a way to make money. He added, “Despite the tragic deaths of 39 migrants attempting a similar journey just months earlier, Nolan and Loughran continued to pursue this crossing. Their organised crime group took 150,000 pounds from vulnerable migrants most of whom were children.”
The NCA revealed that the group loaded old tyres into the lorry to make it look like a normal delivery and told the migrants to hide inside, putting them at serious risk of injury. Cunningham said, “We will continue to tackle organised immigration crime and work with our partners to bring gangs like Loughran and Nolan to justice.”
