International money-laundering investigation under way into Kinahan cartel assets
An international money laundering investigation into the structure of the Dubai-headquartered Kinahan organisation is under way, The Irish Times has learned. Gardaí are trying to build a better understanding of the assets owned by the organisation in an attempt to assist international police forces in seizing them.As well as the An Garda Síochána, the inquiry involves law enforcement from Australia and agencies in Britain, Spain, the United States and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The Garda has previously said the organisation was worth about €1 billion.News of the inquiry comes less than two days after 49-year-old Daniel Kinahan was extradited from the UAE.READ MOREGarda Commissioner came ‘face to face’ with Daniel KinahanHow to capture the solar eclipse – without frying your phoneSolar eclipse 2026: Thousands across Ireland witness rare event Buying your first house in Ireland, 2026 vs 2006: ‘I borrowed seven times my income’He was brought before the Special Criminal Court in Dublin on Sunday night after being flown by Government jet from Dubai. He has been charged with directing organised crime between October 2015 and April 2017.What now for Daniel Kinahan’s wife, children in Dubai? The married father of five was arrested in Dubai, where he lived with his family for 10 years, in mid-April and had been in custody there until his extradition.Sources familiar with the investigation said it was aimed at the entirety of the Kinahan network, adding that Daniel Kinahan’s extradition was just the latest phase in a wave of investigations into the group, which would continue. Overseas assets owned by Irish men linked to the group who are tax domiciled in other jurisdictions are out of the reach of the Criminal Assets Bureau and the Revenue Commissioners.However, sources said that as the Garda worked with its international partners, any assets linked to money laundering located in those countries could be seized by foreign law enforcement agencies. Those assets “will be pursued irrespective of where they are held” with the assistance of local agencies, said one source.Gardaí are also hopeful that the investigations may yield evidence of significant tax evasion, as the organisation has sought to move and launder funds, and that could generate criminal charges, including in the United States.Security and Crime Editor Conor Lally was speaking to Aideen Finnegan for the In the News Podcast. The main focus of the international inquiry is the men linked to the organisation who were sanctioned by US law enforcement in 2022. They included founder Christy Kinahan snr, and his two sons, Daniel and Christopher jnr, as well as their cousin, Ian Dixon.Because the men had lived in Dubai and been tax domiciled there for about a decade, the strand of the international money laundering inquiry involving co-operation between the Garda and UAE is crucial. The authorities in the UAE already claim to have frozen assets linked to the group valued at almost €200 million.Gardaí were taken aback by the speed at which Kinahan’s extradition unfolded in the UAE and were hopeful future moves against Kinahan suspects would be as decisive.Hamid Alzaabi, secretary general of the UAE’s anti-money laundering committee, said in a statement that Kinahan’s extradition had followed “years of work between law enforcement and judicial authorities in the UAE, Ireland” and other countries.“Foreign predicate offences remain an important part of our national financial crime risk profile, including the proceeds generated by illicit trafficking in narcotics,” he said.Alzaabi previously said there was “no safe haven for criminals” in the UAE after Kinahan was arrested in April. He added that “extensive financial intelligence has been shared, networks disrupted and assets frozen” in connection with the Kinahan organised crime group.Daniel Kinahan is back in Ireland – what now?Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan described the extradition of Kinahan as “another landmark of judicial co-operation” between the Republic and UAE as they worked together to combat “transnational organised crime”. UAE minister of justice Abdullah bin Sultan bin Awad Al Nuaimi described Kinahan’s extradition as “supporting global efforts to combat transnational organised crime”.
