DUBLIN, Ireland - A major operation by the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) on Sunday resulted in the removal of 34 convicted foreign nationals from the State, all of whom have been issued exclusion orders banning them from re-entering Ireland for up to ten years.

The removals were carried out via a chartered flight that departed Dublin for Poland and then continued on to Lithuania. All 34 individuals are adult males, ranging in age from their mid-twenties to mid-sixties. The group is comprised of 22 Polish nationals and 12 Lithuanian nationals, all of whom have criminal histories in Ireland, including court convictions and custodial sentences.

Of the 34 removed, 25 were taken directly from Irish Prison Service custody, where they had been serving sentences. The remaining nine were arrested and detained from communities across the country and held in prison prior to Sunday's flight.

An Garda Síochána stated that the operation supports several ongoing national enforcement initiatives, including:

• Operation Moonridge – targeting sex offenders and domestic violence offenders, for crimes such as rape, sexual assault, and possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

• Operation Táirge – targeting repeat offenders involved in organised retail crime and handling stolen property.

• Operation Tara – targeting drug networks involved in the sale, supply, importation, and cultivation of controlled drugs.

• Operation Thor – targeting organised crime gangs involved in burglaries nationwide.

• Road safety enforcement – targeting multiple convictions for dangerous driving, driving while intoxicated, and having no insurance.

The Gardaí noted that it continues to work closely with the Department of Justice on immigration policy and with the Irish Prison Service to implement such removal operations.

File photo.