Six people have been jailed after an illegal migration scam was dismantled by gardaí and UK immigration authorities.
An organised crime gang smuggled migrants into Britain through Ireland using the Common Travel Area.
The gang was charging migrants up to €15,000 for false documentation, transport and route planning.
The head of the Garda National Immigration Bureau, Chief Superintendent David Dowling, said gardaí shared intelligence on the gang, who were involved in a systematic attempt to help people evade UK immigration controls.
The two-year investigation was carried out into the activities of the UK-based gang, which brought illegal immigrants, from Georgia into the UK.
The gang provided false documents such as identity cards and passports as well as route planning, procedural information and transport for Georgian people to enable them to enter the UK illegally.
Gardaí and UK authorities identified 20 migrants which the gang smuggled in to the UK, but they believe they dealt with hundreds of people, charging them up to €15,000 each.
The migrants usually arrived from hub airports in France and Italy and once in Ireland left for the UK through Dublin Port or via Belfast.
If caught in Ireland, they claimed asylum to prevent deportation.
Most subsequently left without completing the asylum process.
Three people were jailed yesterday for a total of nine years at Isleworth Court bringing to six the total number of gang members jailed.
Chief Superintendent Dowling said gardaí collaborated and shared intelligence throughout the investigation and accompanied Immigration Enforcement officers on operations in Britain.
