Daniel Kinahan wakes up in Irish prison accused of being crime boss after life in Dubai

A man accused of being an organised crime boss has woken up in an Irish jail after several years of living in Dubai.

Daniel Kinahan, 49, was flown to Ireland on an Irish Government jet on Sunday, and immediately taken by high-speed Garda escort to court in Dublin, where he was charged with directing the activities of a criminal organisation.

With no legal representation, the Dublin man was remanded into custody and transferred to the maximum-security Portlaoise Prison in the Irish midlands.

He was likely to have been placed on A wing, with some of the most high-profile residents and others facing trial at the Special Criminal Court.

Kinahan, alleged to be a leader of the Kinahan organised crime group, was arrested in the United Arab Emirates on April 15 on foot of an arrest warrant issued by the Irish courts.

This was carried out in accordance with a bilateral agreement on extradition between Ireland and the UAE.

It followed the dismantling of the Lyons crime gang and arrest of its boss Steven Lyons in March. The Lyons gang is purportedly backed by the Kinahan transnational crime clan.

Kinahan had also been an advisor to world champion Scottish boxer Josh Taylor.

After the plane left Dubai on Sunday, the justice ministers for Ireland and the UAE welcomed the extradition in a joint statement.

Jim O’Callaghan and Abdullah bin Sultan bin Awad Al Nuaimi said the Irish national being extradited was “regarded as one of the most high-profile individuals sought for prosecution in connection with transnational organised crime”.

They confirmed the extradition after a formal request submitted by Irish authorities, and the final decision was issued after a judgment by the Dubai Court of Cassation, in accordance with the extradition treaty between the two countries.

The two ministers added that the final extradition decision “reflects the steadfast commitment of both countries to the rule of law and reinforces international judicial co-operation”.

Crowds gathered outside both the Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel on the outskirts of Dublin on Sunday for the landing of the plane, and the Special Criminal Court, to try to get a glimpse of Kinahan.

They watched two separate high speed convoys pass by, in an additional precaution, to transport the man believed to have been the target of a gun attack at a boxing weigh-in in Dublin in 2016.

Inside the court room, the dock was checked by gardaí before Kinahan appeared, alongside several other gardaí, for a hearing which lasted about 14 minutes.

At the judge-led hearing, Judge Fiona Lydon, Judge Patrick McGrath and Ms Justice Sarah Berkeley sat in the court which tries terrorism and organised crime cases.

Kinahan told the court he had been isolated from Friday afternoon, adding that he believed a family member would have contacted a legal representative on his behalf, and he was happy to proceed.

He did not react after being charged with directing the activities of a criminal organisation between October 18 2015 and April 6 2017.

Detective Sergeant Colin Davidson told the court that he had arrested Kinahan on foot of an arrest warrant issued by the Irish courts at Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel at 6.49pm that day.

He said he ensured that the accused understood the charge.

Judge McGrath told Kinahan when the case would next be heard, and explained to him that because of the charge an application for bail would have to be made to the High Court.

Kinahan said: “I understand. I think we know I won’t be getting bail, but thank you.”

He will next appear in court on October 5, and was told that he has the option of either attending in person or appearing via video link.

He said he would decide later.