Hungarian police have confirmed that a man arrested in an operation involving armed gardai in West Cork last week is wanted in connection with a major cross-border investigation into human trafficking and prostitution.
According to Corkbeo, the Hungarian national, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was presented last Wednesday before the High Criminal Court in Dublin and will be held in custody until February 14, when his return to court will be further assessed. in Budapest.
He was arrested on Tuesday in the village of Courtmacsherry by members of the Divisional Investigation Unit, which is based at Bandon Garda Station and is backed by the Armed Support Unit (ASU). There had been fears that he might be armed and resist arrest, reports Corkbeo.
Irish authorities have not provided any further information about the man. However, the National Investigation Bureau in Budapest confirmed to CorkBeo that the named individual, who is 30, is accused of being part of a major international crime syndicate which is said to have forced scores of Hungarian women into prostitution in Berlin over the past few years. five years. years Years.
Several arrests have already been made in Budapest, while two men were detained by German police in Berlin in September. The arrests also included the seizure of high-performance sports cars, expensive watches, large sums of cash and other items. The suspect tracked down in West Cork was the ultimate target of the investigation.
Hungarian police said they helped locate the suspect in West Cork, where the Gardai managed to arrest him “completely unexpectedly”.
An NNI spokesman in Budapest thanked the Gardai for their work and said: “The man was completely surprised when they raided him, he didn’t expect to be tracked down,” reports CorkBeo.
A decision on the arrest warrant for extradition is expected to be made by the end of the month.
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