GardaÍ are to recommend a wealthy Chinese restaurateur be charged with the trafficking of several Chinese children who disappeared from state care at accommodation hostels for unaccompanied boys and girls in the past few years.

Detectives in Dublin launched an investigation last year into the businessman's involvement in the disappearance of 34 unaccompanied Chinese minors whom gardaí suspect were trafficked into Ireland to work in the sex and labour industry.

Last July, gardaí raided the restaurateur's three eateries, including a popular high-end restaurant, after receiving intelligence that some of the 34 missing children were in contact with the businessman.

During the raids at the businessman's two restaurants and one take-away, gardaí discovered nine staff members, all of whom were working illegally in Ireland.

Two were asylum seekers, four were illegal immigrants, two were students and another was legally in the country but not permitted to work.

There was no trace of the 34 missing minors but the businessman admitted that he had helped one of the children to find a job on the black market within the Chinese community.

Gardaí have established the businessman has filed no tax returns from his three eateries, the first of which opened in 2002.

A file for the DPP is due to be completed soon and gardaí are seeking trafficking charges against the man in relation to the missing minors. He has been linked to some of them through mobile phone contact.

Officers believe they also have enough evidence to charge the businessman with failing to declare tax on his three eateries. He is also facing fines of up to €250,000 for each illegal worker as well as a prison sentence of up to 10 years per person for employing people illegally under the Employment Permits Act.