Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has told the World Police Summit in Dubai he was “embarrassed” to say the Kinahan crime cartel, which he said had wealth of more than €1 billion, had begun as a small crime group in Dublin in the 1980s.
However, the Irish authorities were now working with their counterparts in United Arab Emirates (UAE), including Dubai Police, to put the cartel out of business and bring its leaders to justice.
Addressing delegates at the conference, which has been attended by dozens of police chiefs from around the world, Mr Harris said crimes orchestrated from one region of the world could have “a footprint” and victims across the globe.
“It is, therefore, essential we accelerate the sharing of not only our Intelligence and information but our combined experience and expertise,” he said.
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“It takes a network to defeat a criminal network. A striking example of this is the work that we’ve been doing along with international colleagues in the US, UK, Spain, Europol and here in Dubai to bring an end to the Kinahan organised crime gang.”
He said while Kinahan-linked criminals based in the Republic had been convicted and jailed in recent years – many for Kinahan-Hutch feud crimes – efforts to bring the Dubai-based leadership of the group before the courts continued.
He also cited the imposition of financial sanctions by the US authorities on seven key figures in the cartel – including cartel founder Christy Kinahan and his sons Daniel and Christopher Jnr – as an example of what can be achieved by international co-operation.
The sanctions imposed by the US Department of Treasury, and its Office of Foreign Assets Control, were announced at an event in Dublin Castle in April 2022, with US, British and Continental European police officers and other officials present.
“Embarrassingly to say, they started in Dublin as a small crime gang in the early 80s and have grown over the decades into an organised crime gang with an estimated worth of over €1 billion,” Mr Harris told the World Police Summit in his keynote address on Thursday.
“This wealth has been gained through murders, violence and the dealing through many countries of illicit drugs and dealing in intimidation.
“In recent years An Garda Síochána has made significant inroads into this gang, through the arrest of key figures and seizures of large quantities of drugs, cash and firearms. However, given its international scale we knew it was only through co-operation with colleagues abroad that we could really impact on the top of this organisation.
“So in April 2022, close to where the Kinahan crime gang was formed in Dublin, federal US authorities announced a transnational effort to put the gang out of business including financial rewards for information leading to the arrest of the leadership. And this shows the value of International co-operation in tackling crime.”
Mr Harris, who was on his second visit to Dubai as part of a small Garda delegation, also met on Thursday with His Excellency Lt General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri, commander in chief of Dubai Police. They first met in Dubai – along with Assistant Commissioner Justin Kelly – last September while a delegation of Dubai Police members also came to Ireland last October.
The meetings, and Mr Harris’s visit to Dubai this week, are part of continual efforts to build a long-term relationship with the authorities there. Ireland is also trying to put in place an arrangement that would enable Irish criminals, wanted to face serious charges in the Republic, could be extradited.
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