Judge Victor Blake consented to a Garda request that the defendant not be named in the media. Stock Picture

A man has appeared on human trafficking charges at Cloverhill District Court in Dublin.

The 58-year-old man was charged with bringing 18 men into Ireland for the purpose of "labour exploitation".

Judge Victor Blake consented to a Garda request that the defendant not be named in the media.

The man, with an address in Co Meath, faced 18 charges of causing the 18 men, on different dates in April, May and June last year, "by means of deception" to "enter the State for the purpose of labour exploitation," contrary to the Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Act 2008.

The man is also charged with the theft of three debit cards.

The stocky, grey-haired man, who was in custody with consent to bail, stood in court listening to the proceedings with the aid of an interpreter.

The court was told that existing charges against him needed to be amended and they were replaced with 21 new charges.

Defending barrister Jane Horgan-Jones said that her client was making no application for bail.

The Director of Public Prosecutions would be proceeding to a trial on indictment on a later date, the court was told.

Detective Garda Patrick Muldowney said there were two co-accused in the case and the book of evidence would be ready on February 28.

Det-Gda Muldowney told the judge that the case was "extremely complex" and the charges related to the bringing of a number of persons from Romania into the State. The case also entailed the examination of financial records.

Judge Blake listed the case for mention in the court on January 31.

Irish Independent