Irish fugitive Daniel Kinahan arrested in UAE in major blow to global crime network

Dubai: Daniel Joseph Kinahan, one of the most powerful cocaine traffickers in the world, was arrested in the UAE yesterday, authorities said, a major step in a years-long effort to bring one of the continent’s most influential crime figures to justice.

The Irish fugitive, widely identified by Irish and United States as a senior figure in the Kinahan Organised Crime Group, was detained in Dubai on the basis of an Irish arrest warrant. 

The group has been linked by Irish courts and international investigators to offences including drug trafficking, firearms smuggling, money laundering and multiple killings across Europe.

In a statement, the Dubai Media Office said that Dubai Police, in collaboration with the UAE Ministry of Interior, had arrested an Irish fugitive for his alleged role in an organised criminal group involved in international crimes. 

The suspect was apprehended within 48 hours of the warrant being issued on April 15, following intensive search, investigation and close surveillance operations. 

Hamid Alzaabi, Secretary General and Vice-Chair of the UAE’s National Anti-Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism and Proliferation Financing Committee, said this outcome follows the issuance of an arrest warrant by an Irish court and reflects sustained, close cooperation between UAE authorities and international partners over several years. 

“Through coordinated efforts with counterparts in Ireland, extensive financial intelligence has been shared, networks disrupted, and assets frozen in connection with the Kinahan Organised Crime Group. It also builds on previous operational successes, including the arrest of Sean McGovern, demonstrating a consistent and determined approach to dismantling the network,” Alzaabi said in a LinkedIn post. 

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

Kinahan also had ties to the world of sport via his now defunct boxing management company MTK Global, which represented more than 100 boxers including Tyson Fury and Carl Frampton.

An Garda Síochána (Irish police) said they were aware of the arrest of an Irish national.

A spokesperson confirmed the man was Kinahan, adding: “Our expectation is that he will be extradited.”

The arrest was carried out under the framework of bilateral cooperation between the two countries, strengthened by a recently agreed mutual legal assistance treaty.

For years, Kinahan had cultivated a public profile as an international boxing promoter while investigators alleged he oversaw the day-to-day operations of a network described by the U.S. Treasury as a “murderous organisation” involved in global trafficking. 

His arrest follows earlier enforcement actions, including the detention of senior associate Sean McGovern in 2024, who was later extradited to Ireland and pleaded guilty to directing a criminal organisation. 

Irish Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan welcomed the move, citing strong judicial cooperation between Dublin and the UAE.