Scams exposed by Operation Gull
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Other abuses detected by Operation Gull during the year included:
- Three foreign nationals were arrested in possession of drugs valued at €500,000 after securing several Irish visas each.
- Eight Iranians were granted visas to participate in the FBD Milk Ras. Four turned up a week early but never reached the pre-race accommodation venue. The others were refused permission to land at Dublin Airport after the scam had been exposed.
- A company with branches in the US, UK, Czech Republic and Philippines, sponsored visa applications for three Filipino nationals to come here for training. It was found they had been working full-time for the company but paid at home rates while here on training.
- Some 26 visa applications sought for African officials to attend a week-long college seminar were found to be largely supported by bogus documentation. Fees had been paid to an agent in the UK.
- Investigations into applications for two alleged parents and a child found that two of the three passports had been altered, with photographs and pages substituted, while names, dates of birth and heights were changed. The true identity of the child remains unknown.
