Informants fearing for his or her lives ‘may declare £3.7m Daniel Kinahan bounty’
Suspected mob boss Daniel Kinahan could face a long prison stretch after extradition to Ireland, while a £3.7m bounty could tempt terrified insiders to turn on him, its claimed
Gangsters afraid for their lives might turn on alleged crime kingpin Daniel Kinahan, it’s been claimed(Image: Supplied)
Insiders afraid for their lives might turn on suspected crime kingpin Daniel Kinahan to bag a cool $5million (£3.7million) reward, a former US official has claimed. Kinahan, 49, landed back on Irish soil on Sunday after being flown directly from the United Arab Emirates on a government jet.
He had been languishing in a UAE prison since his arrest in April. Under heavy armed escort, the suspected cartel leader was whisked straight to Dublin’s Special Criminal Court in a high-stakes security operation.
Back in 2022, American authorities slapped a massive bounty on the heads of Daniel, his father Christopher Sr and brother Christopher Jr, hoping to crush the alleged Kinahan cartel.
American authorities slapped a massive $5m bounty on the heads of Daniel, his father Christopher Sr and brother Christopher Jr
Speaking on RTÉ Radio 1’s Morning Ireland, Greg Gatjanis, former associate director of the US Office of Foreign Assets Control, said the life-changing reward could prove irresistible to panicked insiders.
He said: “It could be people who have inside knowledge of a criminal organisation. It could be associates of the criminal leaders themselves who might want to step forward, who are disgruntled or actually may fear for their lives.
“That kind of money can draw people out of hiding and it could be opportunity for potential retribution against criminal leaders.”
Kinahan landed back on Irish soil on Sunday after being flown directly from the United Arab Emirates
Gatjanis revealed the cash incentive makes it almost impossible for bosses to trust their inner circle, adding that tip-offs can spark major breakthroughs.
He said: “The kind of information that we see come forward could be anything from evidence of additional crimes that were unknown up to that point, which could include murders, money laundering, drug trafficking, even planned murders.”
“I’m not saying that this is what happened with the Kinahans. This is the kind of information that could come forward. Some of the most important information will be bank information, the accounts where money is held.”
Gatjanis praised the arrest, claiming it “sends a really powerful message to other criminals who are taking shelter in the UAE”.
He also paid emotional tribute to the late former assistant garda commissioner John O’Driscoll, who died in 2024.
He said: “I have to say, John O’Driscoll made an impassioned plea. He explained the growth of the organisation, but mostly what had the most lasting impression on me was when he was explaining how the violence of the Kinahan organisation expanded and exploded across Ireland.”
Kinahan was escorted across Dublin to the Criminal Courts of Justice by armed cops from the emergency response unit, with a police helicopter hovering above. Over 100 onlookers gathered to watch the dramatic arrival.
The suspect faces a single charge of directing the activities of a criminal organisation between October 2015 and April 2017. If convicted, he faces up to life behind bars.
When told he couldn’t apply for bail at the hearing, Kinahan said: “I think we know I won’t be getting bail, but thank you so much for explaining that.”
He was remanded in custody until October 5 and driven straight to the high-security Portlaoise Prison.
The alleged crimes occurred during the bloodthirsty Hutch-Kinahan gangland war, which claimed 18 lives in three years.
Kinahan narrowly dodged death in 2016 when hitmen stormed Dublin’s Regency Hotel, leaving his pal David Byrne dead.
