Suspected Irish crime boss lands in Dublin after being extradited

LONDON -- The alleged leader of an Irish organized crime gang was extradited to Ireland from Dubai on Sunday to face allegations that he ran an international drug smuggling and money laundering empire with tentacles that stretched to Britain, Spain and the U.S. The Irish Air Corps plane carrying Daniel Kinahan, 49, landed at an airport on the outskirts of Dublin on Sunday evening after courts in Dubai refused to block his extradition. He was charged at Dublin's Special Criminal Court with "directing the activities of a criminal organization" and was ordered to remain in custody at the high-security Portlaoise Prison about 90 miles (145 kilometers) southwest of the capital. His next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 5. Cases are heard by a panel of three judges without a jury. Irish media reported a huge security operation was underway to ensure Kinahan faces justice, involving armed police, military personnel and the prison service's newly acquired bombproof escort van, per RTE. The precautions followed a bloody gang war linked to Kinahan's family. U.S. authorities said in 2022 that the feud had resulted in 18 murders as they announced a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the disruption of the Kinahan organization or the arrest and conviction of Daniel Kinahan. Daniel Kinahan is believed to have run the day-to-day operations of the gang from his base in Dubai, the U.S. Treasury said. He was detained by Dubai authorities in April on an Irish arrest warrant. In a podcast interview with Scottish host James English last week, he denied being a crime boss and called himself a scapegoat. "I believe, in a way, I am a scapegoat," he said in the interview posted on TikTok. In March 2022, the gang's Britain chief, Thomas "Bomber" Kavanagh, got 21 years for orchestrating U.K. drug shipments; two others received 20 and 19.5 years.