dublinReuters —
Alleged Irish crime boss Daniel Kinahan was charged with leading a criminal organization by prosecutors in Dublin on Sunday, amid tight security at a special court following his extradition from the United Arab Emirates.
Kinahan, who was arrested in Dubai in April, was named by the US in 2022 as one of three leaders of the Kinahan organized crime group. U.S. authorities have offered a $5 million reward for his arrest.
He was handed over to Irish authorities in Dubai early Sunday morning and flown on an Irish government plane to a military base outside Dublin. He was then taken directly to court for a highly unusual Sunday night trial, after which he was remanded in custody.
Kinahan, who was wearing a black hoodie, black pants and flip-flops, said he understood the charges and had been told by one of the three judges that a bail application could only be made through the High Court.
“I think you know I’m not going to get bail, but thank you very much for explaining that to me,” he replied. The hearing will take place at the non-jury Special Criminal Court in Dublin, which hears cases involving terrorism and organized crime.
Footage shows a convoy believed to be carrying Irish gang boss Daniel Kinahan.
Armed police guarded the entrance to the courthouse. After a short hearing, a crowd watched and recorded on their cellphones as an unmarked police car sped away.
Mr Kinahan, 49, also apologized for not having a lawyer present, saying he had not had time to make any arrangements while in quarantine in Dubai since Friday and had expected his family to arrange representation.
Lawyers for Kinahan, who has lived openly in Dubai for the past decade and until recently was involved in organizing high-profile boxing matches, told the BBC in 2021 that allegations that he was a crime boss were false.
Four years ago, the United States compared the Kinahan drug trafficking organization to some of the world’s most notorious criminal networks when it designated it a serious transnational criminal organization.
Irish police said at the time that the gang expanded from dealing heroin and cocaine in Dublin in the 1990s to operating across Europe.
In a joint statement on Sunday, the UAE and Ireland’s justice ministers said Mr Kinahan was one of the highest profile individuals seeking prosecution in connection with transnational organized crime.
Mr Kinahan is next scheduled to appear in court in person or via video link on October 5.
