Organised Crime

Her legal representative said that she became involved with a senior crime boss in her 20s which led her down a ‘disastrous’ path.

A WOMAN WHO helped run a brothel-keeping criminal organisation across Dublin in which nearly 30 young Brazilian sex workers were identified by gardaí has been sentenced to three years in jail.

Bruna Da Silveira (26) of Reilly’s Avenue, Dublin 8, was found to have €737,000 in proceeds from prostitution going through her three bank accounts between 2024 and 2025, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard.

She was in a relationship with the head of an organised crime group, which was investigated by gardaí, Europol and Interpol, Detective Inspector Adrian Kinsella told Fiona McGowan BL, prosecuting. Three men are before the Irish courts while others are being prosecuted in Brazil.

The court heard that during the investigation, gardaí carried out welfare checks on about 28 or 29 young Brazilian women in their teens and early 20s who had been brought to Ireland to work as escorts.

They all told gardaí they were “happy enough” with their situation apart from one woman, who engaged with gardaí and supplied them with information about the men who were running the criminal gang.

This witness gave gardaí information about Da Silveira’s involvement and about her boyfriend – the head of the criminal gang – who she said was intimidating and who had made death threats against herself.

This witness said she worked 15-hour days (16 hours at weekends) and was only allowed one day off a month. The women received 50% of the money they were given, but they had to pay the rent for the temporary lettings being used as brothels.

Da Silveira arrived in Ireland on a student visa in July 2024 with her partner, having travelled in Croatia, Serbia and the Middle East with him, the court heard.

In Ireland, she was operating as a sex worker as well as helping to run the brothels by arranging payments by ‘clients’ and organising the rent and power for some of the brothels. These were usually short-term lettings arranged through Airbnb and Booking.com, the court heard.

The money that was found to have passed through Da Silveira’s accounts was sent to different bank accounts in Ireland and Brazil, with much of it being used to buy assets in that country, Det Insp Kinsella said.

Da Silveira pleaded guilty to participating or contributing to the activities of a criminal organisation on dates between 10 July 2024 and 9 September 2025. It is an offence that carries a maximum sentence of 15 years.

She was cooperative with gardaí when arrested, the court heard. She has no previous convictions.

Sentencing her today, Judge Elma Sheahan noted that Da Silveira profited from her relationship with the head of the criminal organisation through “gifts received and money sent to her family in Brazil”.

She said it was an aggravating factor that her bank account was used to facilitate the operation of the criminal organisation and the “transnational movement of significant amounts of money” to buy assets abroad.

She said the criminal gang was involved in the “abuse of young vulnerable women” who had to work in “awful conditions”.

Sheahan took into account mitigating factors including Da Silveira’s family background, guilty plea and cooperation. She noted she is working in a kitchen and attending school while in custody.

The judge set a headline sentence of five years, which she reduced to three and a half years, taking mitigating factors into account. She suspended the final six months on a number of conditions.

Michael Lynn SC, defending, said his client was a “vulnerable young woman” in her early 20s when she got into a relationship with the head of the criminal group which “led her down this disastrous road”.

“He is an intimidating man,” Lynn said, adding he was “controlling”. He said Da Silveira came from a very poor family in Brazil and was earning money as a sex worker to send back home.

A number of letters from her and her family were handed into the judge. Lynn said Da Silveira is living a “lonely existence” in prison as she has little English and no family in the country. He submitted that her guilty plea was of significant value.