The head of the Garda Commissioner, Drew Harris, has stated that the Kinahan cartel, connected prominently with the notorious Daniel Kinahan, is seeking different methods to hide its wealth following the destruction of Daniel’s reputation as a legit pro boxing promoter and the cessation of his high-profile ‘celebrity selfie’ habit.
Furthermore, Mr. Harris guaranteed that Cartel members – currently in Ireland and being released from Irish prisons after fulfilling their sentencing for the crimes related to the Kinahan-Hutch feud – will not be given the opportunity to reinstate themselves.
Despite Christy Kinahan snr, the founder of the cartel, and his sons, Daniel and Christopher jnr, and other key Irish allies being free and based in Dubai, the UAE authorities were stated as being receptive to Irish attempts to bring justice with regard to them.
In an interview with The Irish Times based in Dubai, Mr. Harris entertained the idea that the Kinahans may potentially shift as speculated to Iran or other countries, making their extradition significantly difficult. However, Mr. Harris also viewed their relocation options as limited and without the benefits offered by Dubai.
The Garda Commissioner, speaking at the World Police Summit hosted in Dubai on Thursday, detailed to the attendees the transformation of the Kinahan cartel from an insignificant Dublin-based criminal group in the ’80s to the international entity it is today. Harris also used the occasion to build relationships, meeting His Excellency Lieut Gen Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri, the commander in chief of Dubai Police.
Despite the financial and travel sanctions forced upon the three Kinahans and four of their companions in April 2022 by the US Treasury and its Office of Foreign Assets Control, Mr. Harris remarked that these constraints only existed in the legitimate economy and did nothing to address the smuggling of illegal drugs. He also stated that the leadership of the Kinahan cartel continues to maintain significant competence and respect in their role in the international drug trafficking scene.
The crackdown on drug trafficking proceeds has become considerably more challenging due to imposed sanctions, making it difficult for the processing and hiding of such illicit gains. Daniel Kinahan, particularly, had been pushed into the limelight, with his former role as an influential worldwide boxing promoter having effectively been ended due to these sanctions.
“He doesn’t often take photos with celebrities anymore, a change from the days prior to the US sanctions,” was observed. “It put a stop to his involvement and interest in sports entirely, in addition to his dalliances with the sporting world’s celebrities during sunset.”
It was emphasised how crucial it was to scrutinise where the money would be redirected, possibly into another legitimate business that is less obstinate and noticeable, unlike boxing. Meanwhile, the drug-distributing syndicate’s critical vulnerability still relies on individuals capable of assisting with money transfers. Authorities such as the Garda, in partnership with Interpol and Dubai Police, are taking strides to identify these individuals.
The Irish authorities, including both the government and Garda, are making efforts to cultivate and deepen their cooperation with UAE authorities in the criminal justice sector. They aim to form a bilateral agreement for sharing intelligence and information with Dubai Police. Meanwhile, efforts are underway to extradite Dubliner Sean McGovern, facing murder charges, from Dubai back to Ireland, due to his involvement in the Kinahan-Hutch dispute.
Even though it’s been two years since the Director of Public Prosecutions outlined a murder charge against him, McGovern remains free in Dubai. Any insinuations that the Dubai authorities may be merely paying lip service to cooperating with Ireland, ostensibly showing readiness but not acting on either McGovern or the Kinahans, have been dismissed by authorities.
“Why would they placate me?” He questioned. “We’re not exclusively focusing on Kinahans. We have an aim to form an alliance, a law enforcement alliance with Dubai’s police force. This relationship will mutually benefit both parties, and they acknowledge this themselves.”
Dubai’s established authorities had a consistent series of requests from their European counterparts for the extradition of their nationals based in Dubai who were allegedly involved in severe organised criminal activities.
Commenting on the procedure of extraditing Mr McGovern, he said, “They are offering a guideline, and we’re currently navigating for the first time through this underlying tack. It’s a legal procedure wherein they need to be satisfied through their legal system about our intentions. We’re embarking on it for the first time, but there’s always a beginning, and this is it. We will steer through this, hopefully, and I am optimistic.”
When queried if the three Kinahans would face charges in court, he responded: “That is the complete purpose of this. I’ve likened it to a long route march and that’s an accurate description. The Kinahans have established a worldwide organised criminal syndicate. Being residents of Dublin, it’s our duty to lead the endeavor to find collaborators to act against them.”
Although the UAE has generally been hesitant to extradite European offenders – and lacks a formal extradition treaty with the European Union – suspects could be extradited on a case-by-case basis if mutual consent is obtained.
Merely a fortnight ago, Ridouan Taghi was sentenced to life in prison by an Amsterdam court at the end of a trial lasting six years, involving 17 defendants and six interrelated gangland murders. Moroccan-born Taghi (46), a guest at Daniel Kinahan’s wedding in Dubai in 2017, was viewed as the most sought-after criminal in the Netherlands and was thought to be out of reach, given his residence in Dubai.
Nevertheless, Taghi was apprehended in Dubai in December 2019, after which he was swiftly deported back to the Netherlands under the claim that he had entered Dubai using a falsified passport.
Two years on, another stout supporter of Kinahan, Raffaele Imperiale, was likewise apprehended in Dubai. Despite the initial refusal of the first request to extradite the boss of the Italian Mafia, the Italian Minister of Justice took a personal trip to Dubai to address the circumstances, resulting in the eventual extradition.
In the eyes of US authorities, Taghi, Daniel Kinahan, and the presently detained Imperiale in Italy, were labelled as significant individuals in the super cartel based in Dubai, which was held responsible for approximately one third of the cocaine influx into Europe.
Discussions involving legal and diplomatic processes that Ireland has been participating in, over the hope to extradite Mr McGovern were noted by Mr Harris to also have been experienced by the UK, Belgium, Italy and the Netherlands. However, these nations successfully secured criminals back into their law system from Dubai.
A comprehensive investigation by Garda has been concluded into other commanding figures within the Kinahan cartel and currently, the DPP holds this file. Nonetheless, though government and policing majorly prefer extradition of principal cartel members to Ireland, Mr. Harris emphasized the international importance of ensuring the Kinahans are prosecuted.
He expressed his indifference for where the culprits are incarcerated, as long as they face justice. “For the large amount of damage they have inflicted on the Irish populace, we are duty-bound to safeguard our society and lead the charge in this instance. We cannot, and will not, solely rely on larger nations as they have their own concerns and these individuals are our prime concern.”
Further clarifying about the Garda operation that dismantled the crime syndicate linked to the Kinahan cartel, the Liam Byrne organised crime group, which commenced following the assault at the Regency Hotel, Dublin in 2016. This event occurred prior to Mr Harris’ tenure as commissioner. This operation lead to the imprisonment of many gang members who were significant figures in organised crime. As some of the men are being released from Irish prisons, it is important for Garda to maintain vigilance over them and foil any attempts to re-establish their operations.
“Our knowledge, competence, and intelligence regarding organised crime is far superior to what we had a decade ago”, he said, adding, “We mustn’t, and we won’t, allow them to regain their foothold in Ireland”.
Aside from the Kinahans, it was his understanding that the foremost local narcotics traffickers in Ireland represented a segment of an international “franchise” or network. Nevertheless, no currently active gang in the Republic holds a significant international influence.
He stated, “Ireland does not host a ‘Kinahan organised crime group II’. There are, however, other individuals who have been successful in procuring drugs. There is an excess of cocaine in Central America and a high production of synthetic opioids. For those participating in these networks, there are means to import drugs, hence there is more than one route to do so, but it’s not purely through one channel. The Kinahan crime syndicate, nonetheless, remains a prominent force in the import and dissemination of drugs within and through Ireland.”
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