Twenty-four Romanian men deported from Ireland on charter flight from Dublin

Twenty-four Romanian men have been removed from Ireland on a charter flight.

The men were removed on grounds of criminality, Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan said.

He added that the removal orders were enforced against the men between the ages of 24 and 57 in accordance with the Free Movement Directive.

The flight left Dublin Airport at 4.25pm and has since arrived in Bucharest. The costs for the provision of the aircraft for the operation were 182,270 euro.

Re-entry bans of up to 10 years have been applied to each man to prevent their return to Ireland.

Garda personnel, medical staff, interpreters and a human rights observer accompanied the men on the flight.

Mr O’Callaghan said: “Restricting the right to freedom of movement of European citizens is not a measure I take lightly, but there must be consequences if a person’s criminal behaviour means they should no longer be entitled to access this privilege.

“I will take action if our laws are not upheld and this includes enforing removal orders for individuals who are a danger to the public.

“The enforcement of removal orders and use of charter flights demonstrates my commitment to taking effective action in this area.”

The Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) was involved in the operation.

Eighteen of the men had been serving prison sentences and were removed directly from Irish Prison Service custody.

The remaining six were arrested and detained across Ireland and were lodged in custody prior to their removal.