The legitimate Irish businesses Daniel Kinahan was involved in
Daniel Kinahan has been charged with directing the activities of a criminal organisation at the Special Criminal Court following his extradition from UAE.
The alleged gang leader was transported back to Ireland on the government jet on Sunday and touch down in Baldonnell shortly after 6:30pm before being transferred to the Criminal Courts of Justice.
Kinahan's court hearing lasted less than 13 minutes and after being informed by Judge Patrick McGrath that he could only apply for bail in the High Court due to the seriousness of his crime, the 49-year-old responded: "I think we know I won’t be getting bail but thank you so much for explaining that."
He was then taken in a convoy of blacked-out SUVs to Portlaoise Prison, where he will have a private gym and library as well as additional prison officers assigned for his protection.
Before Kinahan’s arrival, the Irish Prison Service purchased a bomb-proof van to transfer him between locations should an attack take place either to kill or attempt to free the accused.
His arrest in April in Dubai was carried out in accordance with a bilateral agreement on extradition between Ireland and the UAE.
If convicted, he could be sentenced to 20 to 30 years in prison.
Kinahan is alleged to be the leader of the Kinahan Organised Crime Group, which has been involved in a deadly feud with the Hutch Gang since 2015. To date, the feud has resulted in 18 deaths.
In 2016, Kinahan escaped an attempt on his life at a boxing weigh-in at the Regency Hotel in Dublin. His friend David Byrne was shot dead in the attack.
In 2022, US authorities issued a reward of up to $5m for his arrest. The Kinahan cartel is considered to be one of the most powerful groups in the world and alleged to be involved in drug and arms trafficking as well as money laundering from its base in Dubai.
In terms of his documented business interests, Dubliner Kinahan set up three companies with his aunt Denise Kinahan, a taxi driver, between 1999 and 2002.
Import/export business Fairfold Ltd was registered in November 1999 with the pair as directors before they set up Curious Cat Ltd and Green Clean Clinical Ltd in October 2000.
Kinahan also established Coombes K Furniture Specialists Ltd, a company for the retail of furniture, lighting equipment and household articles, with William Coombes in May 1999.
All four companies were dissolved by 2004 without publishing annual accounts, and there is no evidence they ever traded.
In the early 2000s, Kinahan's father Christy moved to Spain after serving four years in prison for cheque fraud, and Daniel and his brother Christopher Jr joined him shortly thereafter.
In 2003, Kinahan was registered as director of a Spanish property investment firm called Sea Dream Homes SL, and he was appointed director of a building firm called Score Emerald Group SL two years later.
In 2010, the Kinahans were arrested as part of Operation Shovel, a joint operation between police in Spain, the UK, the Netherlands and Ireland, but no charges stuck despite them being linked to more than 30 companies that consequently had their assets frozen.
The firms in question included Daniel Kinahan's supposed property and building ventures as well as an Irish bar, food businesses, property sales and restoration companies and fashion stores.
Greenland Securities SL, which listed Kinahan as a director, was reportedly used to buy $500m worth of property in Brazil.
In 2012, Kinahan established the MGM boxing studio in Marbella alongside former boxer Matthew Macklin.
It would later rebrand as MTK Global, a promotions company that counted Tyson Fury and Michael Conlon among its clients before ceasing operations in 2022.
Photo shows members of the public using their mobile phones outside the gates of Portlaoise Prison as alleged Cartel leader Daniel Kinahan arrives down from the Special Criminal Court in Dublin. (Pic: Eamonn Farrell/ RollingNews.ie)
US authorities claimed that management company Ducashew General Trading LLC was run by Kinahan through “various individuals” but its website was scrubbed shortly after the US government imposed sanctions on him in 2022.
In all, the Kinahan Organised Crime Group is claimed to have set up 200 companies in 20 countries. Daniel Kinahan is also reported to have extensive property portfolio in the UAE.
Photo: Daniel Kinahan. (Pic: File)
