BBC: Suspected crime boss Daniel Kinahan, one of the world’s most wanted men, has appeared before a Dublin court after being extradited from Dubai.
He has been charged with directing the activities of a criminal organisation between 18 October 2015 and 6 April 2017.
An Irish government jet carrying the 49-year-old landed in Dublin after 18:00 local time. He was arrested and charged upon his arrival.
Following a 13-minute non-jury hearing at the Special Criminal Court, he was remanded in custody until 5 October.
Kinahan was arrested in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in April. He appealed the extradition order over the past few months but his attempts were unsuccessful.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) has previously said that the Kinahan cartel has been responsible for importing tonnes of drugs and firearms around the world and has also been linked to more than a dozen gangland murders.
Kinahan was not only wanted by the authorities in Ireland – the US Treasury Department once described the Kinahan cartel as one of the most dangerous in the world.
The US government imposed sanctions on Kinahan in April 2022 after identifying him and other member of his family as leaders of the Kinahan organised crime cartel.
He fought attempts to extradite him back to his native country, where the Kinahan cartel was involved in a long-running gangland feud that claimed 18 lives.
A large-scale security operation was in place ahead of Sunday’s hearing.
Ahead of the extradition, the Irish Prison Service bought a bulletproof and bombproof van which can be used to escort prisoners who are considered high-risk.
Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly said the arrest shows the force’s determination to “target transnational organised crime groups” alongside international policing partners such as Dubai police.
He added it shows the value of the force’s relationship with the authorities in the UAE, the Irish ministry of justice at judicial level, and “on a police-to-police basis”.
