THE Garda Commissioner says the remaining Kinahan cartel members at large “should be worried” and insisted: “We are fixed on bringing them all to justice.”
Drew Harris told how the global organised crime group are in a “perilous position” as international law enforcement are cooperating with the force to nail mob boss Daniel Kinahan and his associates.
But he also reminded lower ranking members of the gang that $15million from the US Government is still available, urging them to think about the “serious life choices” ahead of them in the coming months.
Harris was speaking a week and a half on from Kinahan’s right-hand man Sean McGovern, 39, becoming the first ever Irishman to be extradited out of the UAE and back to home soil.
McGovern, who had left for Dubai in April 2017, was hit with five charges before the Special Criminal Court including the murder of innocent Noel ‘Duck Egg’ Kirwan in December 2016.
But gang leader Daniel, 47, remains living openly in the Middle East as the Director of Public Prosecutions here weighs up charges against him, three years on from being sanctioned by the US.
Commissioner Harris insisted the force’s work with authorities in Dubai continues.
Harris said: “They should be worried, but they should have been worried now for a number of years, because this huge investigative effort, an international effort, has gone into the investigation of the overall Kinahan organised crime gang.
“A lot of things which were said couldn’t be done, have been done.
“So following on from the sanctions, the work that we’ve undertaken with the UAE, and the work that specifically we’ve undertaken then with the police in Dubai, has been very fruitful.
“They have been very active partners with us in terms of investigation, providing us information, and obviously then UAE authorities have worked to support the extradition, and we see an individual then extradited back to Ireland to face justice here, and that’s the correct thing to do.”
US authorities issued a $15million bounty on the heads of Daniel, his father Christy, 68, and brother Christopher Jnr, 44, to provide crucial information to bring them down three years ago.
Harris added: “The sanctions and the rewards still stand. There’s $15 million there of reward money through the federal law enforcement authorities of the US. So that is still in play as well.
“I just want to remind others in the Kinahan organised crime gang of the perilous position that they’re now in, that ourselves and other law enforcement are fixed on them, and we are fixed on bringing them all to justice.
“So all of them should be worried, and they should be thinking about the choices, serious life choices that are now ahead of them, in respect of what to do over the coming months.
“Our work with the Dubai police obviously carries on.”
WARNING TO OTHER GANGS
Deputy Commissioner Justin Kelly told how the events of the past week and a half highlighted how gardai are relentless in their pursuit of some of these transnational OCGs.
Kelly said: “I think it’s really important as well that everybody knows that there’s other transnational organised crime groups outside the Kinahan OCG.
“It’s exactly the same for those, it doesn’t matter where in the world they are, if there are charges here we will seek to have them extradited back to Ireland.
“So extradition agreements, all the work by the Department of Justice, Department of Foreign Affairs are really important to our organisation.”
Kelly also explained that the work in relation to the Kinahan cartel and the Hutch OCG should serve as a warning to others involved in organised crime.
He added: “We have absolutely dismantled two of the organised crime groups here in Dublin.
“At one stage we had 47 members of one group in jail.
“So if you make those life choices and you want to become involved in this, what is the reality facing you is the full force of the state against you, and investigations by specialist investigators, prosecutions, many of these cases are in the Special Criminal Court.”
BEHIND BARS
He continued: “There’ve been numerous lengthy sentences handed out for possession of drugs, firearms.
“Now we have substantial legislation around organised crime, directing and facilitating organised crime.
“So there’s a huge range of powers we have, and even beyond that, we can see people who are convicted, their houses are now being subject to Criminal Assets Bureau orders.
“So before people get involved, this is the type of thing they need to look at.”
