Ireland’s brutal ‘Monkey Gang’ who movie themselves pulverising members

The popularity of gritty gangland drama Kin on Netflix is giving viewers a chilling insight into what the criminal underworld in Ireland looks like.

But while the show itself is fictional, the real-life gangs causing terror on the streets of Dublin and beyond are very much real.

And perhaps the most ruthless of all is the unusually named Monkey Gang whose elusive members recently launched a manhunt against one of its former crew.

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The lethal organised crime unit, based in Finglas, the northside of the capital, has been operating for up to 20 years and is known for distributing guns and drugs.

It has links to the Kinahan cartel that was involved in the most violent gangland war the country has ever seen after 18 people were murdered between 2015 to 2018.

But despite reportedly being friendly with Christopher ‘Dapper Don’ Kinahan and his son Daniel Kinahan, the Monkey Gang is very much its own empire.

Where did the name come from?

The nickname was earned after a massive raid by Irish police – known as gardai – on six properties in their stronghold of Finglas in April 2019. It was a hugely successful operation and a vast amount of weapons and ammunition were seized.

However, perhaps most surprising of all, was the recovery of a small monkey who was being kept in a cage. The wild animal, named in reports as George, was believed to have been brought into Ireland illegally.

Some of the guns found were reportedly being readied for the Kinahan cartel to aid its deadly feud with their rival Hutch mob. And according to the Irish Sun, the firearms were “greased and in excellent condition”.

A source added: ”A monkey is the last thing gardai would expect to find during investigations into a well organised crime gang. This gang is closely aligned with the Kinahan cartel and has been moving money for them in the past. They have access to large amounts and the fact they had a monkey is an indication of the lavish lifestyles they lead.”

The raid came just one year after police seized more than €900,000 in cash – also believed to be linked to the Kinahans – from County Wexford.

And in 2022, nine police raids led to seven arrests and the recovery of electric goods, pharmaceutical products, children’s toys and other stolen goods worth €30,000.

Monkey Gang manhunt

Despite the raids, the monkey gang is continuing to operate on a large scale and remains active in selling drugs, guns and even used car parts.

They reportedly have a Snapchat in some areas of Dublin where drugs like cocaine and cannabis can be bought at all hours of the day and night.

But like many gangs, they are also known for extreme violence and this has been demonstrated in recent months.

In the past they have been known to film humiliating and brutal assaults on members who stole from them as a deterrent to others.

And according to the Irish Independent, they recently threatened to track down a former associate who fled to Australia after he “lost” a gun controlled by them.

Members of the gang reacted by stealing an expensive watch from him before going as far as burning his family home down in north Dublin at Christmas.

A source, who said the lad who fled is in his mid 20s, told the newspaper: “He was tasked with bringing a machine gun to Monkey Gang associates in Limerick, who are involved in a feud in that city, but it seems he sold the weapon to someone else.

“This did not go down at all well with the organised crime group. They first took an expensive watch from the individual, then smashed up his family home and then burned it to the ground during two separate arson attacks over the Christmas period.”

And the source added that the leader of the Monkey Gang has claimed he is confident of tracking down the runner – despite him being thousands of miles away.

He said: “They have associates out there who are involved in a number of organised scams and burgaries – but it is a very big country, so perhaps it is a bit opportunistic on his part to think they will find this man.

“Either way, because of the calibre of these criminals it is certainly a matter causing anxiety to those who are close to the individual who felt the need to flee to the other side of the world.”