Daniel Kinahan, 49, was charged with directing a criminal organisation by prosecutors in Dublin on a Sunday in August, hours after being handed over by the United Arab Emirates. Reuters reported that the hearing took place under tight security at a special court sitting.
Kinahan had been arrested in Dubai in April. On the Sunday of the handover he was delivered to Irish authorities there, flown by Irish government jet to a military base on the outskirts of Dublin, and driven straight to court. The sitting was highly unusual for a Sunday night. Armed police guarded the courthouse entrance, and crowds filmed on their phones as unmarked police cars sped away once the brief hearing ended.
In the dock
The case was heard at the Special Criminal Court, the non-jury court that deals with terrorism and organised crime. Kinahan wore a black hoodie, black trousers and flip-flops. He told the three judges he understood the charges and apologised for having no lawyer present. He said he had been isolated in Dubai since Friday, had no time to arrange one, and had assumed a family member would do it.
One of the judges told him that a bail application could only go through the High Court. “I think we know I won’t be getting bail, but thank you so much for explaining,” Kinahan replied. He was remanded in custody. He was due back in court, in person or by video link, on October 5.
Years in Dubai
Kinahan had lived openly in Dubai for ten years and until recently had been involved in organising high-profile boxing fights. A lawyer acting for him told the BBC in 2021 that allegations he was a crime boss were false.
In 2022 the United States named him as one of three leaders of the Kinahan Organised Crime Group and offered a $5 million reward for their arrests. It designated the gang a significant transnational criminal organisation and compared it to some of the world’s most notorious crime networks. Irish police said at the time that the group had grown from dealing heroin and cocaine in Dublin in the 1990s into an operation spanning Europe.
In a joint statement after the handover, the justice ministers of the UAE and Ireland described Kinahan as one of the most high-profile individuals sought for prosecution in connection with transnational organised crime.
