Daniel Kinahan extradited to Ireland, UAE says

The United Arab Emirates has extradited alleged transnational cartel boss Daniel Kinahan to Ireland to face trial, the Gulf country's official media reported Sunday.

The Emirates News Agency said the 49-year-old Irishman was handed over at Ireland's formal request to face prosecution for offences related to transnational organised crime, including allegations of leading a criminal organisation, murder and illicit drug trafficking.

Kinahan was arrested in Dubai in April after a warrant was issued in Ireland for alleged serious organised crime offences, and he lost appeals against extradition.

Irish national broadcaster RTE reported that his extradition flight had left the UAE earlier Sunday, but did not specify when it was due to land at Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel. RTE had earlier reported that Kinahan was expected to be taken to the Special Crime Court in Dublin under a large security operation after arrival.

US and European authorities have linked the group he allegedly ran from Dubai to drug smuggling and money laundering. Irish police estimate the Kinahan Organised Crime Group's wealth at more than 1 billion euros.

Sean McGovern, described by a judge as a senior lieutenant in the cartel, was extradited from Dubai after his arrest in 2024. In June, he was sentenced in Ireland to 24 years in prison after pleading guilty to directing organised crime and attempted murder.

The US government imposed sanctions in 2022 on Kinahan and other family members it identified as cartel leaders, designating them as running a narcotics trafficking organisation active in Ireland, the United Kingdom and mainland Europe.