Suspected crime boss Daniel Kinahan, one of the world's most wanted men, appeared before a Dublin court on Monday after being extradited from Dubai. He has been charged with directing the activities of a criminal organisation between 18 October 2015 and 6 April 2017.
An Irish government jet carrying the 49-year-old landed in Dublin after 18:00 local time. He was arrested and charged upon his arrival. Following a 13-minute non-jury hearing at the Special Criminal Court, he was remanded in custody until 5 October.
Kinahan was arrested in the United Arab Emirates in April. He appealed the extradition order over the past few months but his attempts were unsuccessful. The National Crime Agency (NCA) has previously said that the Kinahan cartel has been responsible for importing tonnes of drugs and firearms around the world and has also been linked to more than a dozen gangland murders.
Kinahan was not only wanted by the authorities in Ireland - the US Treasury Department once described the Kinahan cartel as one of the most dangerous in the world. The US government imposed sanctions on Kinahan in April 2022 after identifying him and other members of his family as leaders of the Kinahan organised crime cartel. He fought attempts to extradite him back to his native country, where the cartel was involved in a long-running gangland feud that claimed 18 lives.
A large-scale security operation was in place ahead of Sunday's hearing. The Irish Prison Service bought a bulletproof and bombproof van which can be used to escort prisoners who are considered high-risk. A police convoy escorted Kinahan at speed to the court.
In court, Kinahan was sitting on a wooden bench and wearing a black hooded top. He did not have legal representation, and told the court that he did not have time to arrange this. When Judge McGrath explained he could file an application for bail through the High Court, Kinahan replied: "I think we all know I won't be getting bail, but thank you for your time."
The UAE and Ireland have an extradition treaty, and on Sunday justice ministers from both jurisdictions issued a joint statement welcoming Kinahan's extradition. Irish Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan described the extradition as a "landmark of judicial cooperation between the two countries".
The Kinahan cartel has been linked to gangland murders in Ireland and globally. The US Treasury Department has compared the gang to crime organisations such as Italy's Camorra, Mexico's Los Zetas and Japan's Yakuza. A reward of up to $5m has been offered by the US for information on Daniel, his father Christopher Snr and brother Christopher Jnr.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk