A charter flight costing €182,270 has removed 24 Romanian men with criminal convictions from Ireland after they were deemed a “danger to the public”.
In a Department of Justice statement issued late on Sunday, October 18th, Fianna Fáil Migration Minister Jim O’Callaghan confirmed the operation had concluded, insisting there must be “consequences” when European citizens commit crimes in the State.
O’Callaghan described the restriction of free movement as a serious measure that was necessary when individuals break domestic laws.
“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,” O’Callaghan said.
“I will take action if our laws are not upheld and this includes enforcing removal orders for individuals who are a danger to the public.”
The Minister added that charter operations reflected his approach to enforcing immigration rules, while thanking the agencies involved in the flight.
“The enforcement of removal orders and use of charter flights demonstrates my commitment to taking effective action in this area,” he said.
“I would like to thank the members of An Garda Síochána, the Irish Prison Service and officials from my Department for their work on this successful operation.”
Fine Gael TD and Minister of State Colm Brophy said that compliance with domestic legislation was essential for everyone living in the country.
The Dublin South-West TD noted that the majority of Romanian citizens make a positive contribution to Irish society.
“It is vital that everyone living in the State respects and complies with its laws,” Brophy said.
“It is important to acknowledge that the majority of Romanian nationals resident in the State respect our laws and make a positive contribution to Irish society.”
Brophy also detailed the total number of individuals removed via charter flights throughout the year.
“Six previous charter operations this year has seen the removal of 221 people from the State,” he said.
“Today’s operation brings the total removed by charter in 2026 to 245, including 91 EU citizens who were removed on grounds of criminality.”
The charter flight departed Dublin Airport at 16:25 on Sunday, October 18th, and arrived in Bucharest at 20:00 Irish time. The 24 men, aged between 24 and 57, were accompanied on the aircraft by Garda personnel, medical staff, interpreters, and an independent human rights observer.
The provision of the aircraft for the operation cost €182,270 excluding VAT for the return service. Exclusion orders were imposed alongside the removals, banning each man from re-entering Ireland for periods of up to 10 years.
According to a statement issued by An Garda Síochána on the night of October 18th, all 24 men had previously received custodial sentences from Irish courts. Eighteen of the individuals were removed directly from Irish Prison Service custody, while the remaining six were arrested and detained across the country prior to the flight.
The Garda National Immigration Bureau stated that the removals supported several ongoing national policing operations. These included Operation Moonridge, which targets sex offenders and sexual assaults, and Operation Thor, which targets organised burglary gangs.
Removals also supported Operation Táirge, targeting organised retail theft and the handling of stolen property, as well as Operation Tara, which targets illicit drug supply networks. Multiple individuals had also accumulated convictions for road traffic offences, including driving while intoxicated, dangerous driving, and driving without insurance.
The removals were carried out under the European Communities (Free Movement of Persons) Regulations 2015, which transposes the European Union Free Movement Directive into Irish law.
Under these regulations, authorities can issue removal and exclusion orders against EU citizens whose personal conduct represents a genuine, present, and sufficiently serious threat affecting a fundamental interest of society.
The Sunday operation brings the number of removals enforced under the Free Movement Directive to 148 so far in 2026. Official figures show that 56 such orders were enforced in 2025, 18 in 2024, and 21 in 2023.
In 2025, six charter flight operations removed 205 people from Ireland. That total included 182 non-EU nationals subject to deportation orders across five separate flights, alongside 23 EU citizens removed on criminality grounds on a single flight.
Charter flight services are provided by Air Partner Ltd under a State contract agreed in November 2024 following an open procurement process.
The enforcement actions follow the transfer of administrative immigration registration from the Garda National Immigration Bureau to the Department of Justice in 2024, a reform designed to allow Garda officers to concentrate on investigations and enforcement operations.