Convicted Sex Offenders, Drug Dealers, and Dangerous Drivers Among 63 Deported in Garda Operation

An Garda Síochána's Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) carried out a deportation operation yesterday, Saturday 28 February 2026, removing 63 South African nationals from the State on foot of Deportation Orders issued by the Minister for Justice.

The group comprised 28 adult males, 26 adult females, and nine juveniles, all of whom were part of family groups. They were removed on a chartered flight which departed Dublin yesterday afternoon and arrived in South Africa this morning, Sunday 1 March 2026.

Ten of those removed had been convicted of criminal offences in this jurisdiction. Their removal supports several ongoing Garda operations nationwide, including Operation Moonridge, which targets sex offenders and domestic violence offenders for offences including rape, sexual assault, and possession of child sexual abuse material; Operation Tara, which targets drug networks involved in the sale, supply, importation, and cultivation of controlled drugs; and road safety enforcement relating to offences including dangerous driving, driving while intoxicated, and driving without insurance.

An Garda Síochána confirmed it continues to work closely with the Department of Justice in implementing immigration policy, and with the Irish Prison Service in carrying out these operations.

In 2024, the Department of Justice took over immigration registration functions from An Garda Síochána, in line with the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland recommendations. This transfer relieved up to 100 Garda immigration officers of administrative duties, allowing them to focus on investigative and enforcement work.