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Garda negotiators helped secure the safe return of eight Irish citizens, who had been held against their will in foreign countries for the past three years.
The role played by highly trained members of the Garda national bargaining unit, which is part of the force’s Tactics and Special Operations Command (STOC), has not yet been revealed.
Another Irish citizen, James Hillis, who went missing in Colombia in 2019, is still on the missing list.
To close
Wexford’s James Hillis feared assassinated in Colombia
There are concerns that Mr Hillis, who is from Wexford, has fallen victim to a gang of drug dealers,
Over the past few years, members of the Bargaining Unit (NNU) have assisted local authorities in ensuring the safe return of Irish citizens to Nigeria, Ghana, Sudan, South Africa, Cambodia, Brazil, Algeria and Romania.
Gardai was deployed to the field to respond to incidents in Ghana, Nigeria, Sudan and Cambodia and worked there closely with officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and local authorities.
Some of those who went missing were kidnapped by local criminal gangs, demanding ransom, while others were detained for other reasons.
While efforts were underway abroad to ensure the Irish were released unharmed, the Gardaí kept in regular contact at home with their families, keeping them informed of the progress made in their investigations. The incident in Ghana has been described as particularly complex and, in addition to custody, it also involved Luxembourg, Belgian and German police.
Negotiations
Apart from the Hillis case, the longest negotiation for release took place in Sudan and lasted three months.
Most of the incidents involved criminal gangs, but the Gardaí say they are often concerned that the kidnappers could sell or pass on their victims to more organized terrorist groups, creating new hardships and much larger ransom demands.
But there have been no kidnappings of Irish citizens linked to terrorism since the kidnapping and murder in Iraq in 2005 of Irish-born Margaret Hassan, who grew up in London.
She carried an Irish passport and the Dublin government, under the leadership of Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, has repeatedly emphasized her Irish connections in an attempt to “soften” the kidnappers’ position.
Some to start a new life, especially after the last recession.
Gardaí is reluctant to discuss the details of individual cases where the UN has been deployed, in his country or abroad.
UNNU chief Detective Inspector Tony Ryan explained their operations were deliberately kept under wraps as any publicity, especially in overseas incidents, could be counterproductive and expose the victim to greater risk. danger.
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