A 49-year-old Irishman is suspected of leading a group from Dubai that US and European officials link to major criminal activities, including drug trafficking and money laundering.
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A statement released by the Emirates news agency says that the UAE and Irish justice ministers recently discussed D. Kinahan’s extradition during a phone call.
The statement notes that D. Kinahan “was extradited from the UAE to Irish authorities following their official request for him to answer for crimes related to international organized crime, including charges of leading a criminal organization, murders, and illegal drug distribution.”
D. Kinahan was arrested in Dubai in April after Ireland issued a warrant for “suspected serious organized crime offenses,” and later lost appeals against the extradition.
Irish national broadcaster RTE reported that the plane carrying D. Kinahan departed the UAE on Sunday but did not specify the exact time he is expected to land at Kezimento Airport in Baldonnel.
According to an earlier RTE report, upon arrival in Ireland, D. Kinahan is expected to be brought before the Special Criminal Court in Dublin, with enhanced security measures in place.
The international group known as the Kinahan Organized Crime Group (KOCG) is considered the most powerful criminal organization in Ireland, with assets valued by the Irish police at over 1 billion euros.
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D. Kinahan will become the second high-ranking cartel member extradited from Dubai.
Seán McGovern, described by the judge as a “senior cartel lieutenant,” was the first high-ranking associate extradited after his arrest in 2024.
In June, he was sentenced to 24 years in prison in Ireland after pleading guilty to leading organized crime and attempting murder.
The case relates to a long-standing bloody feud between the Kinahan cartel and the rival Hutch gang based in Dublin.
The US government imposed sanctions on D. Kinahan and other family members named as cartel leaders in 2022.
They were identified as leaders of a drug distribution organization operating in Ireland, the UK, and across continental Europe, involved in “money laundering, firearms trafficking, and murders.”
The US Treasury Department stated that D. Kinahan is believed to have managed the cartel’s daily operations; sanctions were also applied to his brother Christopher.
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