Suspected Irish crime boss lands in Dublin after extradition from Dubai
to face allegations
[August 10, 2026]
LONDON (AP) — The alleged leader of an Irish organized
crime gang was extradited to Ireland from Dubai on Sunday to face
allegations that he ran an international drug smuggling and money
laundering empire with tentacles that stretched to Britain, Spain and
the U.S.
The Irish Air Corps plane carrying Daniel Kinahan, 49, landed at an
airport on the outskirts of Dublin on Sunday evening after courts in
Dubai refused to block his extradition.
Kinahan was taken to the Special Criminal Court in Dublin where he was
charged with directing the activities of a criminal organization. He was
ordered to remain in custody at the high-security Portlaoise Prison
about 90 miles (145 kilometers) southwest of the capital. His next court
appearance is scheduled for Oct. 5.
Ireland’s Special Criminal Court handles all organized crime and
terrorism cases, as well as others where prosecutors believe the
ordinary courts are inadequate to ensure the “effective administration
of justice.” Cases are heard by a panel of three judges without a jury.
Large security operation for Kinahan's transfer to Dublin
Irish media reported that a huge security operation was underway to
ensure Kinahan faces justice. It included armed police, members of the
armed forces and the prison service — which recently acquired a
bombproof escort van to transport organized crime suspects, terrorists
and other high-risk prisoners, Irish broadcaster RTE reported.
The security precautions came after Kinahan's family members were linked
to a bloody gang war with another Irish organized crime group. U.S.
authorities said in 2022 that the feud had resulted in 18 murders as
they announced a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to
the disruption of the Kinahan organization or the arrest and conviction
of Daniel Kinahan.
“Since February 2016, the (Kinahan Organized Crime Group) has been
involved in a gang war with another group in Ireland and Spain,
resulting in numerous murders, including of two innocent bystanders,”
the U.S. Treasury Department said when it sanctioned six members of the
Kinahan gang and three businesses linked to it.
Irish police, with the help of authorities in Britain, Spain and the
U.S., have been pursuing members of the Kinahan gang since at least
2016, when the feud led to a daytime shooting during the weigh-in for a
boxing match at a Dublin hotel. Kinahan was a boxing promoter at the
time.
The authorities allege the gang smuggled tens of millions of dollars in
illegal drugs, including cocaine and cannabis, as well as guns into
Europe, then used a network of apparently legitimate enterprises to
launder the profits.
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‘Large quantities of cocaine’ from South America
Kinahan is believed to have run the day-to-day operations of the
gang from his base in Dubai, the U.S. Treasury said. That includes
buying “large quantities of cocaine” from South America, organizing
its distribution in Ireland and attempting to smuggle drugs into the
U.K., Treasury said.
Kinahan has also instructed gang members to deliver money to a
number of people in prison, including one who was convicted of
attempting to murder someone on behalf of the organization, the
agency said.
He was detained by Dubai authorities in April on an Irish arrest
warrant.
During a phone interview with Scottish podcaster James English last
week, Kinahan denied being an organized crime boss and described
himself as the victim of a conspiracy to tarnish his reputation.
While he said the extradition proceedings were expedited due to a
deal between the Irish and Dubai governments, he said he hoped his
trial in Dublin would help clear his name.
“I believe, in a way, I am a scapegoat,” he said in the interview
posted on TikTok. "And anyone that looks into this so-called feud
that they say they have created, then you will see, you will see
things yourself if someone has the time to look into it.”
In March 2022, the head of the Kinahan organization in Britain,
Thomas “Bomber” Kavanagh, was sentenced to 21 years in prison after
he was convicted of orchestrating drug shipments into the U.K. Two
other men were sentenced to 20 years and 19 1/2 years for their part
in the crimes.
In the course of their investigation, police found 15 kilograms of
cocaine and 220 kilograms of cannabis inside asphalt removal
equipment fitted with a tracking device at the port of Dover on the
English Channel, Britain’s National Crime Agency said when Kavanagh
was sentenced.
Kavanagh lived in a mansion equipped with bulletproof glass and
reinforced doors in Tamworth, northeast of Birmingham. When police
raided the property in 2019 they seized numerous weapons and 35,000
pounds of cash in various currencies, including Emirati dirhams and
euros, as well as British pounds, the crime agency said.
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