Authorities are finalising an extensive security operation ahead of the expected extradition of alleged Kinahan cartel leader Daniel Kinahan from the United Arab Emirates to Ireland within the coming days.
Sources familiar with the plans say Kinahan, 49, could arrive in Dublin as early as this weekend, although any minor administrative delay would likely see the transfer completed early next week.
Kinahan has remained in custody in Dubai since his arrest in April following an extradition request from the Irish authorities. His return follows the conclusion of legal proceedings in the UAE, where he unsuccessfully challenged the extradition order through a two-stage appeal process.
He has not been publicly seen in Ireland since attending the funeral of David Byrne in Dublin in 2016. Byrne was killed during the Regency Hotel shooting, an attack linked to the Hutch-Kinahan feud in which Kinahan was believed to have been the intended target.
For more than a decade, An Garda Síochána has regarded Kinahan as one of its highest-priority organised crime targets. Authorities in the United States and Europe have identified him as the leader of the Kinahan organised crime group and a prominent figure within a wider European criminal network involved in large-scale cocaine trafficking.
The Department of Justice declined to comment on the extradition arrangements, while the Defence Forces stated, “The Defence Forces does not comment on operational matters for reasons of operational security.”
An Garda Síochána also declined to discuss the planned transfer, saying, “Any questions on the arrest and detention of the Irish national in Dubai remains a matter for the authorities in the United Arab Emirates at this time.”
Current plans are understood to involve Air Corps personnel and Garda officers travelling to Dubai aboard either a C295 military transport aircraft or the Government jet. Following the formal handover by UAE authorities, Kinahan is expected to be returned to Ireland under armed escort.
The aircraft is expected to land at Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel, after which Kinahan will likely be taken directly to the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin to appear before the Special Criminal Court.
He is expected to face a charge alleging that he directed the activities of an organised crime group, including during the period of the Kinahan-Hutch feud.
Security preparations for the transfer are expected to be among the most extensive mounted for a prisoner escort in recent Irish history. Armed Garda units and Defence Forces personnel are expected to accompany a convoy transporting Kinahan between Baldonnel, the courthouse and, ultimately, Portlaoise Prison. Authorities are also expected to use a specially reinforced prison transport vehicle designed to withstand ballistic and explosive attacks.
Officials are understood to have considered the option of using a Defence Forces helicopter for parts of the transfer, should operational requirements make an air movement preferable.
Security planners are preparing for every possible contingency given the resources attributed to the Kinahan organised crime group and the potential risk of an attempt to interfere with the transfer.
Following his court appearance, Kinahan is expected to be held in the high-security A5 unit within A Block at Portlaoise Prison. The prison is already home to his close associate Sean McGovern, who was extradited from Dubai in 2025 and is serving a 24-year sentence after being convicted of directing the activities of the Kinahan organised crime group in Dublin.
Senior Garda officers had originally anticipated Kinahan's extradition would not take place until late September. However, the appeal process in the UAE concluded sooner than expected, clearing the way for his transfer.
Officials in Ireland and the United Arab Emirates are now completing the remaining administrative arrangements before the extradition is carried out.
