Suspected crime boss Daniel Kinahan has been extradited from Dubai to Ireland, where he is expected to be charged with directing a criminal organization. The 49-year-old departed Dubai on a government jet and is scheduled to appear before the Special Criminal Court in Dublin on Sunday evening.
A significant security operation is underway for Kinahan's transfer. The Irish Prison Service has acquired a bulletproof and bombproof van for escorting high-risk prisoners. Flight tracking data indicated the plane carrying Kinahan departed Dubai at 1:19 p.m. local time, with an expected arrival in Dublin before 7:00 p.m. local time.
Irish authorities are preparing to prosecute Kinahan for his alleged leadership of an organized crime group. The Kinahan cartel has been linked to the international importation of large quantities of drugs and firearms, as well as numerous gangland murders. The U.S. Treasury Department previously identified the Kinahan cartel as one of the world's most dangerous criminal organizations and imposed sanctions on Kinahan and other family members in April 2022 for their leadership roles.
Kinahan had resisted extradition efforts to his native country. The cartel has been associated with a protracted gangland feud in Ireland that resulted in 18 fatalities.