Irish government jet heads to Dubai to extradite suspected crime boss Daniel Kinahan

Extradition operation under way

An Irish government jet departed Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel, County Dublin, at 10.30am on Saturday 8 August, bound for Dubai to collect suspected crime boss Daniel Kinahan. The aircraft, a Dassault Falcon 6X strategic reach jet, was chosen because it is faster than other Air Corps planes and can fly directly to Dubai without refuelling, with an anticipated flight time of around seven hours. Flight tracking data showed the plane over German airspace at noon. The jet is due to arrive in the Emirates on Saturday evening and is expected to return to Dublin carrying Kinahan on Sunday afternoon.

Kinahan, 49, was arrested in Dubai in April on foot of a warrant issued by the Irish courts in relation to alleged serious organised crime offences. Dubai Police said at the time they had arrested an "Irish fugitive for his alleged role in an international organised crime network." Kinahan lodged an appeal against the extradition, but that process has now failed. He is facing a charge of directing organised crime, including offences dating back more than 10 years as part of the Kinahan-Hutch feud.

Treaty and legal framework

A bilateral extradition treaty between Ireland and the United Arab Emirates was established in 2024 and came into effect in May 2025. The treaty meant Kinahan could be extradited once the Director of Public Prosecutions approved charges against him. The same agreement was previously used to extradite Sean McGovern, described as a "senior lieutenant" in the Kinahan organised crime group. McGovern pleaded guilty at the Special Criminal Court to directing a criminal organisation and was sentenced to 24 years in prison in June.

At McGovern's sentencing, the court heard that the Kinahan group operates internationally in importing and distributing drugs at street level. The group enforces control "by violence, using firearms and murder," the court heard. Senior leadership has been based in Dubai, with other cells in mainland Europe and South America, while some cells remain in Ireland.

Security and return

Once the plane lands at Baldonnel, Kinahan will be brought directly to the Special Criminal Court at the Courts of Criminal Justice for a first court appearance. A security detail will accompany gardaí, potentially drawn from the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, the Extradition Unit, the Garda Emergency Response Unit, or the Army Ranger Wing. The Irish Prison Service has upgraded facilities in the maximum-security Portlaoise Prison in preparation for his return.

The operation involves both gardaí and military personnel. The Irish Times described the security operation as unprecedented for an extradition, given the resources at Kinahan's disposal. He is alleged to be the biggest figure in the history of Irish organised crime.

Background and sanctions

Kinahan has lived in Dubai since 2016, when the Hutch gang tried to murder him at the Regency Hotel in north Dublin during a boxing tournament weigh-in. The United States government imposed sanctions on him in April 2022 after he and other family members were identified as leaders of the Kinahan organised crime cartel. He has not left the UAE since then, over fears he may be arrested in another country or blocked from re-entering.

Kinahan also had ties to sport through his now defunct boxing management company MTK Global, which represented more than 100 boxers including Tyson Fury and Carl Frampton. In 2021, Kinahan denied involvement in crime and insisted he was a "legitimate businessman."

I am a legitimate businessman.