Daniel Kinahan, 49, was extradited from the UAE and appeared before Ireland's Special Criminal Court on Aug. 9, charged with directing a criminal organisation between 2015 and 2017 and remanded until Oct. 5. Irish and UAE authorities said their cooperation enabled the arrest and extradition, a development Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly said underlines strengthened international policing ties. Kinahan is accused of heading a transnational cartel involved in large-scale drug and firearms trafficking, money laundering and killings; U.S. officials link a violent feud with the Hutch gang to about 18 homicides.
Daniel Kinahan Extradited From UAE — Appears In Dublin Special Criminal Court Facing Organised Crime Charge
Security officers stand guard at a gate of Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel, Ireland, on Sunday following the extradition of alleged crime boss Daniel Kinahan from the United Arab Emirates. An Irish government jet transported the 49-year-old from Dubai's Al Maktoum International Airport to the military airbase, where he was formally arrested and transferred to the Special Criminal Court in Dublin to face charges of directing an organized crime group. Photo by Barry Crown/EPA
Daniel Kinahan, 49, the suspected leader of a sprawling transnational crime organisation, was extradited from the United Arab Emirates and appeared before Ireland's Special Criminal Court in Dublin on Aug. 9, just hours after his arrival.
Kinahan was brought directly from Baldonnel military airbase to a late-evening sitting of the three-judge court in a bulletproof police convoy, Irish broadcasters RTE and the BBC reported. He was charged with a single count alleging he directed the activities of a criminal organisation between 2015 and 2017 and was remanded in custody until Oct. 5.
"This arrest shows our determination, along with our international policing partners including Dubai Police, to target transnational organized crime groups," Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly said. "It also shows the value of our relationship with the authorities in the United Arab Emirates, the Ministry of Justice at judicial level, and on a police-to-police basis."
Ireland's national police force, An Garda Síochána, confirmed Kinahan arrived in Ireland on Sunday afternoon after an arrest in Dubai on a warrant issued by Irish courts. Irish and UAE officials said their cooperation enabled the arrest and extradition.
Background
U.S. and Irish authorities identify the group as the Kinahan Transnational Criminal Organization. According to law enforcement, it was founded in Dublin in the 1990s by Christopher Kinahan and later taken over by his sons Daniel and Christopher Jr. U.S. officials say the cartel grew to become one of Ireland's most powerful organised crime groups and expanded operations across Britain, Spain and mainland Europe.
Authorities allege the organisation trafficked large quantities of South American cocaine and heroin, and engaged in money laundering, firearms trafficking and murder. The cartel garnered international attention after a 2016 feud with the rival Hutch gang — also from inner-city Dublin — culminated in a daylight shooting at a Dublin hotel during a boxing weigh-in that had targeted Daniel Kinahan; he was not injured. U.S. authorities say the ensuing feud has been linked to roughly 18 homicides.
In response to increased policing in Ireland, cartel leadership is reported to have relocated significant elements of the organisation to Britain, Spain and the UAE, where Kinahan had reportedly been living openly until his arrest in April.
Next Steps
Kinahan remains in custody and will next appear before the Special Criminal Court on Oct. 5. Irish authorities say the extradition and prosecution underscore deepening judicial and police cooperation between Ireland and the UAE in tackling transnational organised crime.
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