Vadim Veste (29) is a child rapist and a serial sex attacker who carried out a “shocking, brutal and cowardly sexual assault” on an “unsuspecting woman” walking her dog in a Cork park four years ago
Sources have confirmed to the Sunday World that the plane’s passenger list included Lucian Varga Mecic, Vadim Veste and Alexander Udrea – all of whom were hit with orders barring them from returning to Ireland for a period of 10 years.
The flight left Dublin Airport at 2.25pm on Monday and arrived in Bucharest later that evening.
According to the Department of Justice, the cost for the provision of the aircraft for the operation was €69,475 for the one-way-flight.
At the time of his deportation, Lucian Varga Mecic (46) was serving a four-year sentence in the Midlands Prison for theft offences.
One of the deportees is escorted onto the aircraft
News in 90 Seconds – October 19
When he appeared before Blanchardstown District Court in February 2024, gardaí described the father of three as a “nomadic criminal” and part of a “larger Romanian organised crime gang”.
He was alleged to have stolen more than €22,000 from one victim, withdrawing cash from her bank account and buying jewellery and high-end fashion items.
He was also accused of the theft of cash amounts of €800 and €300, allegedly stolen at Bank of Ireland in Blanchardstown; €1,200 from Bank of Ireland in Kildare town; €6,380 from Louis Vuitton on Dublin’s Grafton Street; and €14,127 from Weir & Sons jewellers.
The court heard Mecic would fly into a country and commit a number of crimes within a short period of time before flying out.
This made it difficult for law enforcement to catch him.
Lucian Varga Mecic
The court was further told Mecic was “part of a larger Romanian organised crime gang” and had changed his name to evade capture.
Vadim Veste (29) is a child rapist and a serial sex attacker who carried out a “shocking, brutal and cowardly sexual assault” on an “unsuspecting woman” walking her dog in a Cork park four years ago.
He was serving a six-year jail sentence.
He travelled to Ireland just 18 days after being released from prison, where he had served a sentence for the rape of a minor.
Veste served a three-year prison sentence for the rape of the 14-year-old girl, who was known to him, in Eastern Europe in July 2016.
He was released from custody on December 11, 2020, and travelled to Ireland to stay with his mother on December 29.
Vadim Veste
Veste, who was described as a dual Moldovan-Romanian national, pleaded guilty before the Central Criminal Court to aggravated sexual assault of the woman, who was aged in her 50s, at St Colman’s Park in Fermoy, Co. Cork, on November 7, 2021.
Alexander Udrea (35), a hotel porter, was convicted in March 2022 of sexually assaulting a female work colleague a number of times after they had attended a Christmas party.
He was serving a five-and-a-half-year sentence for the oral rape and sexual assault of his colleague.
In her victim impact statement, his victim said the assaults had stripped her of her dignity and turned her from a confident carefree woman to someone riddled with anxiety.
She said she had moved to the city from a small rural town with “hopes and dreams” of a new life but she went back to that rural town after the attacks left her “broken and wounded”.
Speaking about Monday’s deportations, Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan said: “The right to freedom of movement is among the most fundamental rights and freedoms provided to European citizens that we strive to protect.
“Securing this right for our citizens is one of the most important achievements of the European Union, offering people the opportunity to work, study and live in 31 European countries and assuring their protections to do so.
“Restricting the right to freedom of movement is not a measure I take lightly, but there must be consequences if a person’s behaviour means they should no longer be entitled to access this privilege.
“Action will be taken if our laws are not respected and upheld and this includes enforcing removal orders and sending people home.
“It is important to acknowledge that the vast majority of the Romanian community are law-abiding and hard-working people who make a positive contribution to Irish society.
“I want to thank the members of An Garda Síochána and my officials for their work in conducting today’s operation,” the Minister said.
Citizens of the European Union, European Economic Area and Switzerland and their qualifying family members have the right to move and reside within these territories under conditions provided in the Free Movement Directive.
The Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration can issue an order to restrict these rights and expel a person on grounds of public policy, public security or public health.