DUBLIN — An Irish court sentenced a Somali diplomat to four and a half years in prison for using his diplomatic passport to smuggle women illegally into Ireland.
Abdilatif Mohamed, 40, also known as Hussein, admitted exploiting his diplomatic status to help several women enter Ireland unlawfully over a three-month period in 2024.
The Dublin Criminal Court heard Abdilatif carried out multiple incidents in which he used genuine Somali diplomatic passports not intended for the women he transported.
The main case occurred on Nov. 26, 2024, when a flight from Abu Dhabi arrived, and Abdilatif traveled with two women, pretending they were his wife and daughter.
Airport officials immediately noticed the women did not match the photographs in their passports, prompting an investigation by security and immigration personnel at Dublin Airport.
Authorities later found Abdilatif trying to hide the passports in the National Immigration Service offices. Police recovered two phones, $13,910 in cash, and other foreign currencies.
The women admitted paying him $14,000 and $15,000 respectively to bring them into Ireland, using his diplomatic status to bypass legal immigration procedures.
During police interviews, Abdilatif said he planned to claim he was on a one-week vacation, presenting a ticket to leave the following day while the women stayed.
He also admitted to similar operations on Sept. 30 and Nov. 6, 2024, confirmed by CCTV footage showing him escorting women into the airport without proper documentation.
Judge Dara Hayes described the crimes as serious, noting that abusing a diplomatic passport significantly worsened the offenses. “It should protect officials, not facilitate crimes,” she said.
The court rejected the defense claim that Abdilatif’s family had been coerced, noting the large amount of cash contradicted that explanation.
Abdilatif was sentenced to five years in prison, with the final six months suspended under strict conditions, resulting in an effective sentence of four and a half years.