Two men, including a man with an address in Monaghan, have been jailed for their roles within a larger criminal organisation which was providing people with false documentation in order to travel to the state.
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard Ethan Zeitman, of Mullach Glas Crescent, Monaghan, and Levani Shavgulidze, of North Circular Road, Dublin 7, were “gofers” at the bottom of the organisation which had a role in the number of their fellow Georgian nationals illegally arriving to Ireland “skyrocketing” between 2017 and 2020.
Zeitman, aged 46 of Mullach Glas Crescent, Monaghan, pleaded guilty to money laundering, possession of fraudulent documentation and organising or facilitating the entry into the State of an illegal immigrant or person intending to seek asylum on dates between 2017 and 2019.
Zeitman, who has 20 previous convictions, has been in custody since November 2020.
Shavgulidze, aged 24 and of North Circular Road, Dublin 7, pleaded guilty to stealing Covid 19 pandemic unemployment payment, money-laundering, possession of fraudulent documentation and organising or facilitating the entry into the State of an illegal immigrant or person intending to seek asylum.
Judge Martin Nolan said it was clear the men were part of an organisation facilitating mainly Georgian nationals to travel to other countries.
He noted evidence this had led to a huge increase of Georgian nationals travelling to the country.
He said the men were probably “gofers” used to post documents, but still had their roles to play and were an integral part of the organisation and no doubt rewarded by money or payments in kind.
Judge Nolan noted Zeitman became involved to pay for drugs, but was now doing well in custody and drug free.
He also took into account that the men were foreign nationals and imposed a sentence of two years imprisonment on both men.
Sgt Anthony Collins of the Garda National Immigration Bureau told the court that the investigation began in 2018 as a result of a referral from international colleagues and continues today.
Sgt Collins agreed with defence counsel that Zeitman and Shavgulidze were at the bottom of the organisation, did not produce the documents and were arranged in distributing the documents.
Zeitman came to garda attention while they were watching another co-accused who was sending documentation out of the state at the GPO.
Gardai later seized the packages, containing 15 false documents, and his DNA was found on some items.
Michael Bowman SC, defending Zeitman, said his client had come to Ireland in 2011 and was introduced to heroin while in asylum accommodation. He said he was driven into this offending by his addiction and was paid in drugs.
He said Zeitman’s involvement in the offending had ended over a year before his arrest when he became clean of drugs as he served a sentence for another offence.
He said he is doing well in custody and hopes to leave the country on release.
