It might surprise many in Ireland to realise they would hardly recognise the voice of notorious figure Christy Kinahan senior, despite having had his name in the press for over twenty years. One might expect a traditional working-class Dublin accent, yet Kinahan’s voice is instead dominated by a remarkably British tone, interspersed with various other inflections. His voice bears more resemblance to a middle-class English businessman from the ‘home counties’ whose accent has shifted due to extensive time spent overseas.
Listening to recordings of his conversation serves as a stark reminder of Kinahan’s elusive persona. Despite being 67 and maintaining a relatively low profile, his true character remains unknown to most; a global ‘citizen’ constantly changing his colours. It was only revealed at the end of 2022 that Kinahan had a young family with his Dutch partner, having previously unsuccessfully attempted to gain residency in Zimbabwe.
Despite his infamous involvement with Ireland’s drug scene and remaining under the media’s lens for the past two decades, he skillfully stays ahead of the authorities while successfully disguising his whereabouts for a number of years. Meticulous reporting has tracked his illicit ascent, but many details fell through the cracks. Over the last 25 years, this has been Kinahan’s art; expertly elusive, consistently evading capture.
The world around him and his two sons, Daniel (47) and Christopher jnr (44), is evolving, even though they continue to dwell freely in their Dubai refuge. The Governing Authority committed to an extradition pact with the United Arab Emirates this week. Dubai is the largest metropolis of the seven-member United Arab Emirates federation. Simultaneously, as Justice Minister Helen McEntee was affirming the agreement, Thomas ‘Bomber’ Kavanagh and Liam Byrne, who managed the Kinahans’ operations in the UK and Ireland, were sentenced at the Old Bailey.
Daniel Kinahan’s trusted aide, Sean McGovern (38) from Dublin was seized in Dubai just two weeks earlier after Ireland issued an extradition warrant. He was the first figure from the Kinahan syndicate to be apprehended in the UAE. These accelerated occurrences may suggest the beginning of the end for the Kinahans. The question remains: which one of them is most likely to be nabbed next? Or will their subordinates be taken into custody while the father and sons escape justice?
While actions against the Kinahan syndicate were underway in Ireland, the UAE, and the UK, their adversary Gerry Hutch has been facing difficulties of his own. Hutch (61), was arrested in his secondary residence in Lanzarote on account of a substantial money laundering probe being conducted by the Hutch gang. Hutch currently faces criminal charges and appeared before a court in Lanzarote, alongside other individuals under suspicion. Allegations have been made that money amassed by the Hutch gang in Dublin has been funnelled through ventures and investments, including property assets, in Lanzarote.
The investigation, carried out by the Guardia Civil, has spanned several years, during which numerous searches were carried out in 2022 and additional 11 happened on Wednesday. Even though most of those searches were executed in Spain, Dublin authorities also searched Hutch’s residence in Clontarf, north Dublin, following a request from the Spanish judicial authority.
The Dublin-based crime group led by the notorious gang chief Hutch was recognised by the Criminal Assets Bureau (Cab) in their 2019 testimony before the High Court. This was part of a case targeting Liam Byrne, an equally prominent gang figure. Furthermore, Hutch was pinpointed as a significant player in the long-standing and violent Kinahan-Hutch rivalry, against adversaries including Byrne, Daniel Kinahan, and Freddie Thompson.
Throughout the 1980s and 90s, Hutch’s name repeatedly appeared in connection to high-value burglaries. He was previously required to pay almost £2 million to the Cab to settle a case. His arrest in Spain in 2021 was set to result in his extradition to the Republic for trial over the murder of 34-year-old David Byrne during the 2016 assault on the Regency Hotel in Dublin. However, even after his acquittal by the Special Criminal Court the previous year, he remains on the radar of authorities, splitting his time between Dublin and Lanzarote.
Hutch found himself under arrest yet again recently and might be looking at a stint in prison if proven guilty. Irish police sources have confirmed continued active investigations concerning his gang, promising ongoing scrutiny, even in the eventuality of his incarceration in Spain.
Interestingly, there were murmurs circulating about the idea of having him contest in the impending general election, specifically in the Dublin Central constituency, where Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald holds a seat. This conjecture, which originates from the media, hints at Hutch’s ambition to draw voters away from McDonald in an attempt to inflict harm on Sinn Féin. This follows after Jonathan Dowdall, the party’s former city councillor, testified against Hutch in the Special Criminal Court trial the previous year.
Now should he be tried in Lanzarote, it is anticipated that this will reveal more about the secretive wealth amassed by the Hutch gang. It may also mean Hutch is removed from the equation for some time.
Meanwhile, relatives Thomas ‘Bomber’ Kavanagh and Liam Byrne of the Kinahan cartel were sentenced to six and five years respectively for their involvement in a gun conspiracy case at The Old Bailey on Tuesday. Despite this, detectives suggest that this will do little to upset the notoriously powerful Kinahan order, who are now operating on an international level, with Ireland and the UK representing non-critical markets in their comprehensive web of drug trafficking operations.
Kavanagh has already been issued a prison sentence of 21 years for smuggling Kinahans’ drugs worth over £30 million into the UK. This is in addition to an initial three-year prison term he received for a 2019 incident of possessing a stun gun at his English residence. After factoring in his concurrent sentences and the common 50% remission in the UK, he has about a decade left behind bars. He will be 67 years old upon his release.
Byrne, on the other hand, was managing the Irish operations of the Kinahans. Unlike Kavanagh, he will be set free in approximately a year, right after his 45th birthday. This may give him a chance to start afresh. That said, the Dublin-based gang he led, which was responsible for dealing the Kinahans’ drugs all over Ireland, has been dismantled following a police investigation into the feud between Kinahan and Hutch. Around 70 members, affiliates, and freelancers from this gang are currently serving a sentence.
The Gardai have revealed that some years ago, roughly seven or eight, Byrne left the Republic for the UK and consequently moved to Dubai. Meanwhile, Kavanagh has already spent half a decade imprisoned in the UK.
A source from Gardai believes that the imprisonment of the two men has likely already been accounted for by the Kinahans, implying that it will not cause substantial disruption now. The source also highlighted that the Kinahans have such a stronghold over the European cocaine market that they still anticipate income from the drug use in the UK and Ireland.
Another source concurred, suggesting that the lack of direct dealers for the Kinahans in the UK and Ireland signified a shift in their business approach rather than total devastation. However, the source was of the opinion that Byrne’s imprisonment – his first in over two decades – is a pivotal event. It signifies the culmination of the downfall of his Dublin gang, that has been the leading domestic drug trafficker for nearly 20 years.
The arrest and extradition treaty involving McGovern is also noteworthy.
The recent ratification of an extradition treaty with the UAE is being perceived as a significant development by both the Irish Government and the Garda. This agreement essentially means that any high-profile criminal sought by the Irish State can now be detained in Dubai, then extradited back to Ireland for legal proceedings. The Treaty is expected to detract prominent figures in the Irish underworld from escaping to Dubai to oversee activities such as drug dealing and money laundering. For instance, since relocating to Dubai, the Kinahans have ascended to a key position in a European ‘super cartel’ that, according to Europol, administers around one-third of Europe’s cocaine influx.
Despite this, Garda underscores that not all requests for extradition made by western nations from Dubai have ran seamlessly. In some cases, requests were surprisingly declined even post-ratification of extradition treaties. They emphasised the importance of immaculate preparation and execution of the first extradition requests by Irish authorities.
Confidential insiders commented: “Our people will only be extradited if it aligns with their own benefits. Up until now, they have been letting criminals into Dubai, letting them launder their criminal wealth. The power holders in UAE are unpredictable—they can do as they please, unfortunately.”
Further information reveals that UAE authorities have been cognizant of the Kinahan cartel’s history since Christy Kinahan senior’s arrival in Dubai nearly ten years ago, accompanied closely by his offspring. Life in the UAE, contrary to expectations, has been rather hospitable for them.
Dubai’s appeal for top-level criminals—those with sufficient means to abscond and start anew—stems from its prior lack of extradition agreement with the Irish State. Moreover, it is an international hub of finance, offering all the requisite banking and business structures that drug wholesalers require to transfer and launder money. Reportedly, UAE authorities ask few queries about money’s sources.
The detention of McGovern is perceived as a significant event in Garda environment, providing the first solid evidence that the authorities in Dubai are prepared to act against the Kinahan gang. Being a crucial component at the peak of the syndicate, 38-year-old Dublin native McGovern, who has been the right-hand man to Daniel Kinahan in Dubai, is currently sought after in Ireland to answer criminal accusations. The charges include the Kinahan-Hutch feud murder of 62-year-old Noel Kirwan in Dublin in 2016 and directing organised crime.
The fusion of McGovern’s arrest and the enactment of the extradition treaty, particularly occurring so closely, signifies a substantial shift for the Kinahans. This sequence of actions, along with the loss of Kinahan’s substantial boxing business due to US sanctions, erodes their power and influence. Apprehensions are high in the Kinahan circles that they could be the next ones targeted, especially Daniel Kinahan.
However, for the Kinahans to be extradited, the DPP would need to instruct that they are confronted with serious criminal charges in the Republic. Individuals can only be extradited to undergo trial on already approved charges, with a ready prosecution process. Even though a Garda inquiry into the Kinahans was concluded last year and the file was forwarded to DPP, a decision regarding the criminal charges is still pending.
According to Garda sources, out of the three, Daniel Kinahan is the most likely to be charged in Ireland, possibly for directing organised crime. It’s reported that Daniel Kinahan and Christopher Junior now handle the drug trafficking operations of the cartel, previously overseen by Christy Kinahan Senior, who retreated from daily operations. But the likelihood of charges being brought up against Kinahan Senior in Ireland appears slim due to his withdrawal.
In the Kinahan-Hutch feud leading up to 2018, Daniel Kinahan, brother of the principle subject Christopher jnr, appears to be the one most frequently in contact with the men orchestrating the cartel’s operations in Ireland. This continuous association could lead to higher risk of being accused of past criminal activities.
There have been accusations in the Irish courts already about Daniel Kinahan suspected of being the shooter in an assault on Patrick Hutch in Dublin in 2015. Patrick, a nephew of Gerry Hutch, was allegedly targeted after accusations surfaced about him planning to assassinate Daniel Kinahan in Spain that same year.
Rewards to the tune of $5 million have been put forward by US law enforcement for information on the Kinahans that leads to an arrest and conviction. These rewards have been offered since April 2022, following financial and travel sanctions imposed on the Kinahans and their four associates, including McGovern, by the US Department of the Treasury.
These sanctions eventually led Daniel Kinahan to be ousted from his role in international professional boxing, dealing a significant setback to his efforts to launder money and portray himself as a reputable businessman.
Despite the rewards still awaiting collection two and half years after being offered, police remain hopeful. A police officer stated, “With McGovern’s capture in Dubai, and Kinahan’s loss of his lucrative boxing venture due to US sanctions, their power and invincibility diminish. It is possible that someone may come forward for the American reward money.”
Michael O’Sullivan, former assistant commissioner and head of the National Drugs Unit of the Garda police, emphasised the need to test their new extradition agreement. The initial cases will set a precedent for its future effectiveness and also determine the future of criminal justice co-operation between UAE and Ireland.
O’Sullivan also described the shattered perception of Dubai as a criminal safe haven for Irish criminals following the extradition treaty. He stated it’s now a matter of patience and observation on how the first few extraditions proceed. Ireland finally has a process to return these individuals to face justice.
O’Sullivan expressed the significance of the US involvement in the pursuit of the Kinahan cartel members in 2022. The Garda’s efforts in Ireland to apprehend these figures were impactful, but the involvement of the US was key in their capture. The decision of the American authorities to assign bounties to the Kinahans profoundly changed their perception – they were no longer considered solely Irish felons, but international criminals being actively sought.
These bounties served to impose severe restrictions on the activities of the Kinahans, with US boxing companies being barred from conducting business with Daniel Kinahan. Following his tenure with the Garda, O’Sullivan led the MAOC-Narcotics, the European Union’s agency against drug trafficking. He stated that these bounties essentially catapulted the Kinahans to being the most sought-after European criminals based in Dubai set for extradition.
There’s a host of countries aiming to extradite from Dubai, but very few subjects have a US bounty on their heads. O’Sullivan added that the influence of the US can’t be underestimated; it exerts considerable global pressure, notably on the UAE in this context. With the Americans entering the fray or “the ring” – as a metaphor in boxing terms, it heightens the challenge.