Suspected crime boss Daniel Kinahan returning to Ireland in high-security operation

The Irish government jet carrying suspected crime boss Daniel Kinahan has departed Dubai for Dublin.

The 49-year-old was arrested in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in April and is being extradited to the Republic of Ireland to face a charge of directing a criminal organisation.

Kinahan will be immediately charged upon his arrival in Dublin and then brought by Gardaí (Irish police) to appear before the non-jury, three judge Special Criminal Court on Sunday evening.

A large-scale security operation is in place. Ahead of the extradition the Irish Prison Service bought a bulletproof and bombproof van which can be used to escort prisoners who are considered high-risk.

According to flight tracking data, the plane carrying Kinahan departed Dubai at 13:19 local time and is expected to land in Dublin before 19:00 local time on Sunday.

Irish authorities are expected to prosecute him for his involvement in leading an organised crime group.

Kinahan is not only wanted by the authorities in Ireland - the US Treasury Department once described the Kinahan cartel as one of the most dangerous in the world.

The US government imposed sanctions on Kinahan in April 2022 after he and other members of his family were identified as leaders of the Kinahan organised crime cartel.

He fought attempts to extradite him back to his native country, where the Kinahan cartel was involved in a long-running gangland feud that claimed 18 lives.

Kinahan himself became a target for murder and escaped an attempt on his life during a fatal shooting at a Dublin hotel in 2016.

He left Ireland and spent time living in Spain and more recently in Dubai, where a warrant for his arrest was issued by the Irish courts in April.

He appealed the extradition order over the past few months but his attempts were unsuccessful.

Sunday's security operation will involve armed gardaí (Irish police) and members of the Irish Defence Forces as well as the Irish Prison Service, according RTÉ News.

The broadcaster also said facilities have been upgraded in the maximum-security Portlaoise Prison in County Laois where he is expected to be held on remand.

An extradition agreement is in place between the UAE and Ireland and it was previously used to extradite Sean McGovern, a "senior lieutenant" in the organised crime group.

He was sentenced to 24 years in prison in June for directing the activities of a criminal organisation.

What is the Kinahan cartel?

For more than 20 years the group has been responsible for importing tonnes of drugs and firearms around the world, the National Crime Agency (NCA) previously said.

The NCA said the crime group is linked to more than a dozen gangland murders.

According to former Gardaí (Irish police) Commissioner Drew Harris, the gang is estimated to have made more than €1bn (£836,590,000) globally from its activities.

The US Treasury Department has in the past compared the gang to crime organisations such as Italy's Camorra, Mexico's Los Zetas and Japan's Yakuza.

A reward of up to $5m (£3.84m) has also been offered by the US for information on the three most senior Kinahan gang members - Daniel, his father Christopher Snr, 65, and brother Christopher Jnr.

In 2022, Thomas Kavanagh, who the NCA said ran the group's criminal operations in the UK, was jailed for 21 years alongside Gary Vickery and Daniel Canning, who were sentenced to 20 years and 19 and a half years respectively.

The NCA said evidence showed they were responsible for cocaine imports estimated to be up to £23.4m, and cannabis imports worth about £6.4m.

Daniel Kinahan's lawyer previously told BBC Panorama that he has no criminal record or convictions and allegations about him being a crime boss are false and have no evidential basis.

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