The process of extraditing Daniel Kinahan to Ireland, to stand trial for his alleged leading role in the Kinahan cartel, has begun.
A number of gardaí left Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel, Co Dublin, on the Government jet on Saturday morning bound for Dubai. Kinahan will be handed over to gardaí by the authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The Defence Forces flight left at 10.30am, with an anticipated flight time of around seven hours. The new strategic reach jet, a Dassault Falcon 6X, is being used as it is faster than other Air Corps planes and will not need to stop for refuelling.
It was flying over German airspace at noon, according to flight tracking information.
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Kinahan is alleged to be the biggest figure in the history of Irish organised crime and, given the resources at his disposal, the security operation around his return is unprecedented for an extradition.
While the Government jet is normally used for bring senior Government ministers around the world, the fact it can fly directly to Dubai without stopping made it an obvious choice for a high-risk extradition.
A new extradition treaty between Ireland and the UAE was put in place last year which meant that Kinahan could be extradited when the Director of Public Prosecutions approved charges against him.
The flight is due to arrive in the UAE on Saturday evening and is expected to return to Dublin, carrying Kinahan, on Sunday afternoon, as revealed by The Irish Times last week.
Once the plane lands at Baldonnel, Kinahan (49) will be brought to the Special Criminal Court, sitting at the Courts of Criminal Justice (CCJ), for a first court appearance. This follows intense investigations over many years by the Garda’s Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau.
Kinahan is facing a charge of directing organised crime, including relating to offences that took place over 10 years ago as part of the Kinahan-Hutch feud.
He has lived in Dubai since 2016, when the Hutch gang tried to murder him at the Regency Hotel, north Dublin, during a boxing tournament weigh-in.
Kinahan was among a group of men allegedly at the apex of the Kinahan cartel sanctioned by the United States in April 2022 and he has not left UAE since then, over fears he may be arrested in another country or may be blocked from re-entering UAE.
A major security operation, involving armed gardaí and military personnel travelling in convoy, will be in place on Sunday to escort Kinahan from Baldonnel and onwards to the courthouse and then to Portlaoise Prison, Co Laois. A new blast-proof and bulletproof prison van is expected to be used.
However, the Garda also has the option of requesting a Defence Forces helicopter to take Kinahan from Baldonnel to the CCJ and then to Portlaoise.
Given the resources at his disposal, which are unparalleled in the history of Irish terrorism or organised crime, the Garda and Defence Forces must plan for the possibility that Kinahan’s associates may attempt to break him free while he is being escorted.
Kinahan will be kept in the A5 unit in the A block in Portlaoise Prison. His close associate, Sean McGovern, who was extradited from Dubai last year, is serving a 24-year sentence at the jail for directing the cartel’s activities in Dublin.
Daniel Kinahan (49) could be returned to Ireland by Sunday, when he is expected to be brought directly to the Special Criminal Court
