German couple charged with smuggling two Albanian men at Ringaskiddy

A German couple appeared before Cork District Court on Monday, 10 November, charged with smuggling two Albanian men into Ireland.

Detective Garda Michelle Quinn and Detective Garda Tony Holmes said immigration officers at Ringaskiddy port discovered the two men concealed in wardrobes at the back of a white campervan that had arrived on a ferry from France on 8 November.

The accused, David Hocks, 49, and his partner Anna Edel, 44, both German nationals with no fixed address in Ireland, were each charged with two counts under the Criminal Justice (Smuggling of Persons) Act 2021. They did not respond to the charges in court.

It is alleged the defendants intended to travel to Dublin by campervan after arriving in Cork and meet a contact who would pay each €3,000. Both Albanian men, who had no visa or travel documents, were later returned to France.

Judge David Waters ruled the matter too serious for the District Court and ordered it to proceed on indictment, adjourn­ing the case to 17 November. Despite prosecution objections, bail was granted on a €3,000 bond per defendant, with conditions to surrender travel documents and report daily to Anglesea Street Garda Station.

Source: Irish Examiner. Photo: Nezaket / Pexels.