Boxing promoter Daniel Kinahan is being extradited from Dubai to Ireland where he’s due to stand trial. Snipers on roofs, bomb-proof vans and signal jammers will be deployed
Daniel Kinahan has sparked one of Ireland’s biggest security operations in its history to bring him to trial. The boxing promoter, 49, is being extradited from Dubai to Ireland after the High Court in Dublin named him as a senior figure in an organised crime gang.
The plane carrying him departed Dubai on Sunday (August 9) and is due to land in Dublin before 7pm local time. He was due to be immediately charged upon his arrival. Snipers on roofs, bomb-proof vans for transportation and signal jammers in prison ceilings will be deployed to ensure he is brought to justice.
The alleged gang boss is thought to be the leader of the Kinahan organised crime group, which is behind international drug trafficking and firearms offences.
He was arrested in April after the cartel’s links to oil tankers involved in shipping Iranian crude oil to China were discovered. Intelligence sources reckon Kinahan could be at risk from powerful criminals looking to avenge the murders of gang members once he returns to Ireland.
But Kinahan has said he is “happy” to be getting on a plane back to Ireland, in a voice message to podcaster James English. He said: “The security is going to be crazy. I am sitting here reflecting a little. I’m looking forward to getting back home.”
Ireland’s justice minister Jim O’Callaghan hailed his extradition as sending “a clear message” that suspected perpetrators of organised crime “will find no safe haven from justice”.
He issued a joint statement with United Arab Emirates justice minister Abdullah Sultan bin Awad Al Nuaimi over the extradition. They said the Irish national being extradited was “regarded as one of the most high-profile individuals sought for prosecution in connection with transnational organised crime”.
The two ministers said that the final extradition decision “reflects the steadfast commitment of both countries to the rule of law and reinforces international judicial co-operation”.
Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Helen McEntee welcomed the extradition. She said: “Today is the culmination of years of determined work by An Garda Síochána, successive governments and officials to ensure that those suspected of serious and organised crime cannot evade the Irish justice system.
“I want to pay particular tribute to the late John O’Driscoll and former Garda commissioner Drew Harris for their efforts to tackle serious organised crime and strengthen co-operation with our international law enforcement partners.
“As Minister for Justice and in the years leading up to the signing of the extradition treaty in October 2024, I saw firsthand the tireless efforts of the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Department of Justice and the UAE government, the Department of Foreign Affairs and every agency involved in bringing us to this point.”