Kinahan cartel members could receive US protection, money if they give up gang bosses, top cop says

Members of the Kinahan cartel could receive a $15 million reward and witness protection in the United States in exchange for turning on their gang bosses, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has said.

Mr. Harris said the Kinahans remain a "priority target" following the arrest of high-ranking associate Sean McGovern in Dubai.

"They [Kinahan members] should look about them, they should see what is happening here, and they should remember that there is $15 million with US federal law enforcement and the US federal protection scheme is open, and they should consider that.

"They should consider their own future given the progress and the ingress that we are making into the Kinahan organised crime gang collectively, not just us, but also other partners be it the National Crime Agency (NCA), Europol or US federal law enforcement counterparts," he said.

Daniel Kinahan, his brother Christopher Jr and father Christy Sr, remain the gardai’s biggest targets.

They continue to live freely in Dubai, but according to Commissioner Harris, their days are numbered.

"We’ve always said that we’re resolute and relentless in the pursuit of those individuals," he said.

"They’re Irish nationals, they created the Kinahan organised crime gang and have created misery throughout the world.

"They’ve been involved in very serious criminality and are a murderous gang of drug dealers. They’re one of our main objectives in terms of law enforcement and their pursuit.

"We’ve been successful in thwarting a lot of their criminal enterprise but they remain a priority target and a lot of our energy and effort is obviously about bringing the overall leadership of the Kinahan organised crime gang to justice," he said.

"The Kinahan Organised Crime Group remain a priority target and a lot of our energy and effort is to bring its overall leadership to justice."

- Garda Commissioner, Drew Harris. pic.twitter.com/dmymTC9emU

— Garda Info (@gardainfo) October 10, 2024

Originally from Crumlin in Dublin, McGovern was arrested on Thursday morning, October 10 after he was put on an Interpol Red Notice.

He is facing murder charges in Ireland in connection with the 2016 killing of Noel Kirwan, a 62-year-old man who had no involvement in criminality.

He was also shot in the stomach during the Regency Hotel raid earlier that year, but refused to cooperate in the garda investigation.

McGovern was one of seven senior figures in the Kinahan gang named and sanctioned by the US authorities in 2022.

Before the 38-year-old fled to the Emirates with his girlfriend and children, the Criminal Assets Bureau seized his assets, including his home in Crumlin.

The High Court issued a European Arrest Warrant for him earlier this year and his arrest further diminishes Dubai’s reputation as a haven for criminals.

Ireland has no extradition agreement with the UAE, although the Department of Justice has been working on the matter for the last year.

Justice Minister Helen McEntee has also warned Irish criminals who flee overseas that they "will face justice."

"Many organised crime gangs think they can evade justice by crossing borders; they cannot. There can be no hiding place anywhere in the world for criminals," she said.

"I have taken a number of steps to support international policing cooperation, including approval for the posting of Garda Liaison Officers overseas.

"There is excellent cooperation between An Garda Síochána and their counterparts in the United Arab Emirates, and the deployment of a Garda Liaison Officer to Abu Dhabi last year has been key to this.

"Dubai police also travelled to Dublin recently to assist members of An Garda Síochána with a large transnational organised crime investigation arising from the seizure of 2.2 tonnes of cocaine on the MV Matthew off the coast of Waterford."

Ms. McEntee added she continues to regularly engage with the United Arab Emirates about criminal justice matters.

She also extended the legacy former Assistant Commissioner John O’Driscoll left behind, saying he helped create and maintain networks with other police services around the world to tackle transnational organised crime gangs.

"These networks are now well-established and of vital importance, which is a very fitting legacy to John after his untimely passing recently," she said.

The arrest of McGovern comes just one day after the son of another high-ranking member of the Kinahan gang was extradited to the UK after encrypted messages relating firearms were cracked by authorities.

Detectives from the National Crime Agency [NCA] said the arrest will send a stark warning to "anyone who thinks they can go on the run and avoid facing justice."

The young man was detained in May 2023 at Malaga Airport by officers from the Spanish National Police, as he was transiting through Spain from Dubai to Turkey.

He will now stand trial for alleged firearm offences.

Last December, Liam Byrne, whose brother David Byrne was shot dead in the Regency Hotel attack in 2016, was also extradited to the UK, where he is expected to stand trial later this month.

The feared criminal from Crumlin, Dublin has played a significant role in organised crime over the past two decades and was once described as Daniel Kinahan’s "right-hand man." In June, 2023, he was arrested while dining at the Alcudia area of Mallorca, Spain as he dined with family members.

And despite fighting extradition from Spain to the UK on the prospect of suffering "inhumane and degrading treatment," Byrne’s request was denied.

The NCA obtained arrest warrants after messages on encrypted messaging service Encrochat indicated that Byrne was potentially involved in the supply and acquisition of firearms.

Law enforcement officials from the US, EU, and the UK announced a raft of sanctions designed to disrupt the activity of the Kinahan gang in 2022.

*This article was originally published on Extra.ie.