Dubai Police have arrested alleged Irish crime gang boss Daniel Kinahan in connection with organized criminal activity, Irish media reported on Friday.
The latest arrests come as Irish authorities issued warrants relating to alleged organized crime offences.
UAE police authorities said in a statement that they had “arrested an Irish fugitive in his home country for his alleged role in an organized criminal group involved in international crimes,” but did not name Kinahan.
Irish Times It was reported that the charges against Kinahan were related to the gangland controversy in Ireland.
Kinahan was named by the United States in 2022 as one of three leaders of the Kinahan organized crime group, when it offered a $5 million reward for his arrest.
The US Treasury compared the Kinahan drug trafficking gang to some of the world’s most notorious crime networks and said the gang often used Dubai as a hub of illegal activities.
A lawyer for Daniel Kinahan told the BBC in 2021 that he had no criminal record or convictions and that allegations of being a crime boss were false.
Irish police said on Wednesday they were aware of the arrest of a man in his 40s based on an arrest warrant issued by the Irish courts in connection with alleged serious organized crime.
Gardaí said the arrest was in accordance with the bilateral agreement on extradition between Ireland and the UAE.
It claimed that the arrest was “an important demonstration of the need for international law enforcement cooperation in combating transnational organized crime”.
The Dubliner, who lives in the United Arab Emirates, has previously insisted there is no criminal case against him and has denied any involvement in organized crime.
Kinahan is the founder of MTK Global Boxing Management Company, which previously listed Billy Joe Saunders and Tyson Fury among its fighters.
Irish Minister Jim O’Callaghan said: “This arrest follows my request to the UAE for the extradition of this individual to face charges in Ireland.”
“In recent years, the UAE and Ireland have worked together to advance the criminal investigation of serious and organized crime, including the agreement of bilateral treaties on extradition and mutual legal assistance in 2025.”
