Gardai target non-nationals involved in fake taxi licences
By Maurice Garvey
RAIDS on houses in Lucan and the north inner city were carried out on Wednesday as part of an ongoing garda operation targeting non-nationals using fake taxi licences.
A total of ten raids on residential properties in Lucan and the north inner city, were carried out by a team of 90 officers at 8am on Wednesday morning under search warrants.
Operation Vantage has been targeting immigration violations and processes around Public Service Licence Vehicles (PSV).
Led by the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB), the investigation to date has uncovered 134 cases where the PSV licence holder or PSV applicant is subject to ongoing immigration status investigations.
Of the 134 cases, a total of 64 investigations have been finalised and forwarded to the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS).
This has resulted in the revocation of 55 immigration permissions, with 25 persons now subject to deportation proceedings.
Four of these persons have been arrested on foot of deportation orders with two already removed from the State.
Following the searches, 15 further persons have been identified for investigation into sham marriages.
Up to seven people were found to be present in the State without any immigration permission, and are now subject to immigration controls, with one arrested for immigration related offences.
Gardai say valuable intelligence has been gathered and a large number of documents are currently being examined.
The operation was led by GNIB and supported by members attached to Special Crime Operations, Roads Policing, DMR West Traffic Corps, the Carriage Office, the Garda Analyst Service, the INIS, the Department of Social Protection and the National Transport Authority.
