Kinahan to return to Ireland amid tight security
A large-scale operation is in place as authorities prepare to extradite the suspected crime boss.
A significant security operation is underway in the Republic of Ireland as authorities prepare for the extradition of alleged crime boss Daniel Kinahan.
The 49-year-old was apprehended in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in April. On Saturday, an Irish government jet departed for Dubai to facilitate his collection. The aircraft is anticipated to return to Dublin on Sunday, at which point Kinahan will be transported to the Special Criminal Court.
In preparation for the extradition, the Irish Prison Service acquired a bulletproof and bomb-proof van, intended for escorting high-risk prisoners. Irish authorities are expected to prosecute Kinahan for his alleged leadership role in an organized crime group.
Kinahan is sought not only by Irish authorities; the US Treasury Department previously characterized the Kinahan cartel as one of the world's most dangerous. In April 2022, the US government imposed sanctions on Kinahan after he and other family members were identified as leaders of the Kinahan organized crime cartel.
He contested efforts to extradite him to his home country, where the Kinahan cartel was involved in a protracted gangland feud that resulted in 18 fatalities. Kinahan himself became a target for assassination, narrowly escaping an attempt on his life during a fatal shooting at a Dublin hotel in 2016.
Following this, he left Ireland, residing in Spain and more recently in Dubai, where an Irish court issued a warrant for his arrest in April. His appeals against the extradition order over recent months were unsuccessful.
Upon his arrival in Ireland, he is expected to be promptly taken to the non-jury Special Criminal Court in Dublin to face charges related to his alleged involvement in leading an organized crime group.
According to RTÉ News, Sunday's security operation will involve armed gardaí (Irish police), members of the Irish Defence Forces, and the Irish Prison Service. The broadcaster also reported that facilities at the maximum-security Portlaoise Prison in County Laois, where he is expected to be held on remand, have been upgraded.
An extradition agreement exists between the UAE and Ireland, which was previously utilized to extradite Sean McGovern, described as a "senior lieutenant" in the organized crime group. McGovern was sentenced to 24 years in prison in June for directing criminal organization activities.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) previously stated that for over two decades, the group has been responsible for importing tons of drugs and firearms globally. The NCA also linked the crime group to more than a dozen gangland murders.
Former Gardaí Commissioner Drew Harris estimated the gang's global earnings from its activities to exceed €1 billion (£836,590,000). The US Treasury Department has previously likened the gang to criminal organizations such as Italy's Camorra, Mexico's Los Zetas, and Japan's Yakuza.
The US has offered a reward of up to $5 million (£3.84 million) for information on the three most senior Kinahan gang members: Daniel, his 65-year-old father Christopher Snr, and his brother Christopher Jnr.
In 2022, Thomas Kavanagh, whom the NCA identified as running the group's criminal operations in the UK, was sentenced to 21 years in prison, alongside Gary Vickery and Daniel Canning, who received sentences of 20 years and 19 and a half years, respectively. The NCA stated that evidence indicated their responsibility for cocaine imports estimated at up to £23.4 million and cannabis imports worth approximately £6.4 million.
Daniel Kinahan's lawyer previously informed BBC Panorama that he has no criminal record or convictions, and that allegations of him being a crime boss are false and lack evidential basis.