The Irish government plane carrying Daniel Kinahan, suspected of being one of the leaders of the Kinahan crime cartel, has departed Dubai for Dublin, where the 49-year-old is expected to face Irish justice.

Kinahan was arrested in the United Arab Emirates in April and, after a legal battle against extradition, UAE authorities have decided to hand him over to the Republic of Ireland. According to flight records, the plane departed Dubai at 1:19 p.m. and is expected to arrive in Dublin before 7 p.m. local time.
Immediately upon arrival, Kinahan is expected to be charged with running a criminal organisation and sent by Gardaí to the Special Criminal Court, which holds trials without a jury and is made up of three judges.

Irish authorities have launched a massive security operation to transport and detain him. According to RTÉ, the operation will involve armed police, members of the Defence Forces and the Irish Prison Service. Ahead of the extradition, the latter also purchased an armoured vehicle, protected against bullets and explosions, for transporting high-risk prisoners.

Kinahan is expected to be held at Portlaoise High Security Prison, where security improvements have been made in anticipation of his arrival.

Also wanted by the USA
Daniel Kinahan is one of three senior leaders of the Kinahan cartel sanctioned by the US Treasury Department in 2022. The US has designated the group as one of the most dangerous criminal organisations in the world and has offered up to $5 million in rewards for information on Daniel Kinahan, his father Christopher Kinahan Sr and brother Christopher Kinahan Jr.
Authorities have linked the group to international drug and arms trafficking, as well as more than a dozen murders related to gang conflicts.
According to former Gardaí Commissioner Drew Harris, the Kinahan organisation is estimated to have generated more than €1 billion from criminal activities worldwide.
Daniel Kinahan fled Ireland after a 2016 attack in which one person was killed in a Dublin hotel. He lived for a period in Spain and then in Dubai.
However, his lawyer has previously denied the allegations, stating that Kinahan has no criminal record and that the allegations about his role as an organized crime leader are untrue and without evidentiary basis.