AP —
Daniel Kinahan, the alleged leader of one of Ireland’s biggest criminal networks, has been arrested in Dubai, Irish media reported on Friday.
Garda Síochána, the Irish National Police, announced on Wednesday that an Irish man in his late 40s had been arrested on an Irish court warrant on suspicion of serious organized crime.
The force said it was “unwavering in its determination to pursue those suspected of being involved in serious organized criminal activity, wherever they go.”
Dubai Police announced the arrest of an “Irish fugitive on suspicion of involvement in an international organized crime network”.
Police have not released the name of Kinahan, who is in his late 40s. Irish state broadcaster RTE confirmed he was the man arrested.
The High Court in Dublin previously named Mr Kinahan, who lives in the United Arab Emirates, as the head of an organized crime group involved in international drug trafficking operations and firearms offences.
The feud between the Kinahan cartel and the rival Hutch gang has been linked to 18 murders in Ireland since 2015. In 2016, Kinahan Cartel associate David Byrne was shot dead during a boxing weigh-in at the Regency Hotel in Dublin. Authorities believe Mr Kinahan was the intended target.
He then moved to Spain and then Dubai.
Mr Kinahan was one of the founders of boxing management company MTK Global. He was photographed with then-heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and attempts to organize fights for him, including a proposal for an all-British superfight with Anthony Joshua, never materialized.
In 2022, the United States offered a $5 million reward for information leading to the “economic destruction” of the Kinahan criminal organization or the arrest and conviction of its leaders.
