The downfall of the Kinahan cartel was significantly advanced by a pivotal meeting in the summer of 2021, where a senior Irish police official persuaded U.S. Treasury Department officials to impose sanctions on the group. Greg Gatjanis, then Head of Global Targeting for Sanctions at the U.S. Treasury, described the encounter with the late Assistant Garda Commissioner John O’Driscoll as instrumental in identifying the Kinahan organized crime group as a significant threat to the United States.
Before this meeting, Gatjanis's office, responsible for allocating resources judiciously, had limited awareness of the Kinahan threat's connection to the U.S. In recalling the initial assessment of the threat's U.S. relevance, Gatjanis noted a colleague's sentiment that the connection was "rather small." However, O'Driscoll's personal presentation shifted this perspective.
Gatjanis described O'Driscoll as an "impressive figure," a "proud policeman" and "proud Irishman" who conveyed the severity of the Kinahan cartel's impact. O'Driscoll reportedly spoke with deep emotion about the terror the cartel had inflicted upon Dublin and Ireland, highlighting their unprecedented level of violence and power. This firsthand account from the senior garda convinced U.S. Treasury officials that the cartel posed a substantial threat warranting federal action.
Following O'Driscoll's testimony, Gatjanis recalled the moment the decision was made: "By the end of the meeting, we shook hands and I said, ‘Let’s get to work. If we can do sanctions, we’ll do sanctions.’" This agreement marked a critical turning point, leading to the imposition of sanctions against Daniel Kinahan and the wider cartel organization.