Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

Human Trafficking

Two Aer Lingus employees and Chinese national in court over alleged illegal immigration operation

The three appeared before the Criminal Courts of Justice.

Updated 12.51pm

THREE MEN HAVE appeared in court charged in connection with illegal immigration at Dublin Airport.

The three – two Aer Lingus employees with Irish addresses and a man from China in his 20s – appeared before court at the Parkgate Street complex in Dublin this morning.

All three have been remanded in custody.

Peter Kernan, 56 with an address at Old Rectory Lodge, Church Road, Celbridge, Co Kildare, was charged at Swords garda station last night.

He faces two charges of facilitating the trafficking of a non-national into the State on the 9 and 22 of January 2017.

A garda in court said it is alleged he – along with others – organised to facilitate the illegal entry of non-nationals into the State by ‘bypassing passport control and exiting the airport without having any contact with security personnel at all’.

Gardaí objected to bail because of the seriousness of the charge and the suspect’s alleged association with organised, criminal gangs who have access to false documents.

Judge Cormac Dunne remanded him in custody at Cloverhill for the consideration of bail terms which include €2,000 bail sum, plus another €20,000 independent surety, along with conditions including surrendering his passport, providing a mobile phone contact number to be available at all times, signing on three times a week at Leixlip garda station and having no contact with his co-accused, Frederick Chan.

Kernan’s two adult sons and his partner and her daughter were in court this morning.

61-year-old Frederick Cham, with an address at Railway Cottages, Hazelhatch, Celbridge in Co Kildare, was charged at Ballymun garda station under the Illegal Immigrants Trafficking Act.

28-year-old Xing Wang (no fixed address), who was provided with an interpreter, has been charged with possession of a fake passport, failure to produce a passport or ID and failure to present to immigration officers upon arrival in the State.

Both Cham and Wang were remanded in custody to appear at Cloverhill on Friday when bail will be discussed.

Comments have been disabled as legal proceedings are ongoing.