‘Altruistic’ people smuggler jailed for 18 months

By Isabel Hayes

An “altruistic” man who tried to smuggle a Somalian journalist into the country because she was fleeing persecution has been jailed for 18 months.

Omar Adbuqadir (31) did not receive any money when he gave the woman his wife’s Swedish identity card so she could enter Ireland via a flight from Madrid, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard on Tuesday.

An immigration officer at Dublin airport noticed that the woman’s face did not match the picture in the card and her real identity documents were found after her luggage was searched. She has since applied for asylum in Ireland, which was granted, the court heard.

Adbuqadir, with an address at Sandesslatt, Sweden, pleaded guilty to one count of people smuggling at Dublin airport on November 3 last year. He has no previous convictions except for some minor road traffic offences, a check from Interpol showed. He has been in custody since he entered the country.

Garda Pat Murray told the court that Adbuqadir and the woman arrived in Dublin Airport on a flight from Madrid on the day in question, posing as a married couple. However, the journalist’s identity card did not match the facial recognition technology and the immigration officer’s suspicions were aroused.

The woman told gardaí that she had paid about €2,800 to a man in Somalia, who then put her in touch with Adbuqadir. She said she was fleeing Somalia due to her work as a journalist, the court heard.

Adbuqadir, who is originally from Somalia, but living in Sweden, then met the woman after she flew to Madrid. He gave her a “look-alike” Swedish identity card, which was actually his wife’s. The court heard a look-alike ID is where the photo resembles the person trying to pass it off as their own.

Oisin Clarke BL, defending, said Adbuqadir fled the regime in Somalia with his mother and siblings when he was 13. His father was killed by extremists, the court heard.

He lives in Sweden with his wife, who recently gave birth to their third child while he was in custody.

Mr Clarke said Adbuqadi agreed to help the journalist flee Somalia due to his own experiences. “He was doing it for altruistic reasons,” he said.

Sentencing Adbuqadi, Judge Martin Nolan accepted that he committed the offence for “altruistic purposes”. He sentenced him for 18 months, which he backdated to when Adbuqadi went into custody last November.