Daniel Kinahan has been charged with directing the activities of a criminal organisation following his extradition to Ireland from the United Arab Emirates.
The 49-year-old appeared before the Special Criminal Court in Dublin yesterday evening.
He is accused of directing the activities of a criminal organisation between 18 October 2015 and 6 April 2017.
Mr Kinahan was brought directly to court after arriving in Ireland on a Government jet.
The aircraft arrived at Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel, Co Dublin, yesterday evening after leaving Dubai earlier in the day.
Mr Kinahan was arrested when he landed on Irish soil.
Detective Sergeant Colin Davidson gave evidence about his arrest, charge and caution.
The court heard that Mr Kinahan was arrested on foot of an arrest warrant at Casement Aerodrome.
Detective Sergeant Davidson said Mr Kinahan confirmed that he understood the charge when he was cautioned.
Mr Kinahan did not have legal representation during his court appearance.
The court heard that gardaí had offered him options for arranging legal representation.
Mr Kinahan told the court that he "didn't have time to arrange anything".
He said: "I said to the gardaí that I was taken in Dubai and isolated from Friday afternoon."
He told the court that he had expected a family member to arrange legal representation for him, but this had not happened.
Mr Kinahan said he was happy to proceed with the hearing and would arrange legal representation at a later stage.
Following the charge, he was remanded in custody and taken to Portlaoise Prison.
He is due to appear before the Special Criminal Court again on 5 October.
Mr Kinahan was told that he could either attend the hearing in person or appear by video link.
He said he would decide at a later stage.
Mr Kinahan had been detained in Dubai since April last year after his arrest on foot of a warrant issued by the Irish courts.
He later lost his final appeal against extradition from the UAE.
Daniel Kinahan has arrived at the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin after being extradited from the UAE.
Gardaí have confirmed a man in his late 40s has been arrested and charged in relation to serious organised crime offences.
Kinahan will appear before the Special Criminal… pic.twitter.com/fu7Sm79nDB
— Virgin Media News (@VirginMediaNews) August 9, 2026
A major security operation was put in place in Dublin following his arrival in the country.
The operation involved armed gardaí, the Defence Forces and the Irish Prison Service.
The Irish Prison Service recently purchased a bulletproof and bomb-proof escort van which can be used to transport high-risk prisoners, including alleged criminal gang leaders and terrorists.
Facilities at Portlaoise Prison have also been upgraded ahead of Mr Kinahan being held there.
The Special Criminal Court is made up of three judges and deals with cases where the Director of Public Prosecutions determines that the ordinary courts are not adequate to secure the effective administration of justice.
