Latest news with #Kinahans
Daily Mirror
14-07-2025
- Daily Mirror
Special agents infiltrate notorious cartel as global drug empire unravels
An American sting, which began in June 2022, exposed the Kinahan crime syndicate's growing ambitions to rival top-tier cartels like Mexico's Sinaloa by expanding into synthetic drugs, including methamphetamine and fentanyl An undercover operation by the US has successfully penetrated the notorious Kinahan cartel's international drug trafficking network, court documents have revealed. The American sting, which began in June 2022, exposed the Irish crime syndicate's growing ambitions to rival top-tier cartels like Mexico's Sinaloa by expanding into synthetic drugs, including methamphetamine and fentanyl. The intelligence breakthrough comes after eight men linked to the Kinahans, one of whom formerly advised ex heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, were jailed following a military-style operation on a £130m cocaine shipment in the Irish Sea last year. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) operation began in Ankara, Turkey, where agents recruited a confidential informant known only by the codename 'Queen.' They then infiltrated the cartel's upper echelons and gained the trust of Opinder Singh Sian, a Canadian national allegedly connected to the Kinahans, the Italian mafia and Turkish traffickers. Sian, who was arrested in Nevada last month, allegedly disclosed plans to smuggle meth to Australia and chemicals for fentanyl into the US via Canada. Under surveillance, Sian met with undercover agents posing as drug smugglers and held talks at a California restaurant in March 2023 to discuss large-scale trafficking via the Port of Long Beach. US agents staged a dummy handover and traced shipments to Sydney using GPS-tracked containers. Parallel investigations in Australia targeted local distributors, while DEA operatives seized genuine narcotics for analysis and replaced them with dummy packages. The covert operation highlighted the cartel's use of encrypted apps like Threema for communication. The infiltration marked a turning point in the global crackdown on the Kinahan organisation, long headquartered in Dubai and led by Christy Kinahan and his sons Daniel and Christopher Jr. All three are subject to US sanctions and international arrest warrants, with a $5 million (£3.71 million) bounty placed on them. The revelations follow the dramatic seizure of 2.2 tonnes of cocaine on board the MV Matthew in Irish waters in September 2023, in the largest maritime drugs bust in the country's history. Acting on international intelligence, Irish authorities tracked the Panama-flagged cargo vessel after it left Curaçao, Venezuela. As the ship entered Irish waters, elite soldiers from the Irish Army Ranger Wing fast-roped from helicopters in severe weather to board the vessel, while Naval Service crews issued warning shots during a high-speed pursuit. A companion trawler, the FV Castlemore, had previously attempted multiple failed rendezvous with the MV Matthew to offload the cocaine. After running aground, the trawler's crew issued a distress call, inadvertently alerting authorities to the smuggling operation. Voice messages recovered from Dubai-linked gang, including a figure named 'Captain Noah' – instructed the MV Matthew to jettison the drugs by lifeboat. However, the swift response by Irish forces led to the arrest of the crew and the seizure of the consignment. The eight men sentenced for the trafficking operation included nationals from the UK, Iran, Ukraine, the Netherlands and the Philippines, with jail terms ranging from 13 and a half to 20 years. Assistant Commissioner Angela Willis, of the Garda's Organised and Serious Crime Bureau, said: 'Transnational organised crime groups know no borders. They prey on people's vulnerability for their own financial gain. Life is cheap and protecting their core criminal interest – money – is their key priority.' Three years ago, Fury said US government sanctions against Daniel Kinahan were "none of my business.' Prominent names in boxing were urged to cut ties with Kinahan, alleged to be the head of an Irish organised crime gang, after the US government targeted him with sanctions. Kinahan has always denied any wrongdoing. He has previously been pictured with Fury, but at the time, the boxer said he had not had any business dealings with Kinahan "for a long time" and repeatedly insisted it was "none of his concern".
Sunday World
06-07-2025
- Sunday World
Veteran gangland figure Jo Jo Kavanagh dies suddenly at home
A former member of the gang led by Martin 'The General' Cahill, he was an uncle of jailed Kinahan Cartel man Thomas 'Bomber' Kavanagh Veteran gangland figure Jo Jo Kavanagh has died after being treated for an illness in a Dublin hospital. A former member of the gang led by Martin 'The General' Cahill, he was an uncle of jailed Kinahan Cartel man Thomas 'Bomber' Kavanagh. He was also an uncle to murdered gangsters Gerard 'Hatchet' Kavanagh (pictured below) and Paul Kavanagh, believed to have been killed on the orders of the Kinahans. A notice posted online said that Kavanagh had died suddenly at home on July 2. It stated the funeral was private for family and close friends. Kavanagh, from Crumlin, became notorious after his role in the infamous tiger-kidnap of bank director Jim Lacey by The General's gang. Gerard Kavanagh Armed and masked men took Lacey and members of his family hostage after invading his Blackrock home in November 1993. Threatened with being shot, the banker's wife Suzanne, children and a babysitter were held as Mr Lacey was forced to carry out the gang's orders. Jo Jo Kavanagh turned up at the house and changed into one of the victim's suits and told him that he was also a hostage. Jo Jo Kavanagh was an uncle of Thomas 'Bomber' Kavanagh Today's News in 90 Seconds - July 6th His job was to accompany the bank director to the branch at College Green the next morning and to take the available cash. It later emerged there was an estimated €7 to €8 million in the vaults of the National Irish Bank branch. Fearing being trapped in the vaults if the Gardaí had been alerted, Kavanagh did not venture in to inspect it, missing out on what would have been the biggest ever heist in Ireland at the time. He took £243,000 punts from the branch manager and loaded it into his van before driving away with members of the Lacey family later found in a stable near the Phoenix Park. Jo Jo Kavanagh would later tell gardaí that he had been kidnapped and forced to carry out the gang's demands, handing over the money to a motorcyclist. Gardaí did not believe his story and, given his previous convictions for armed robbery, he became a suspect. The following January Kavanagh was shot in the leg when he said he was confronted by masked men who asked why he hadn't taken all the money from the bank. When asked by Evening Herald reporter Brendan Farrelly, if he had staged the shooting, Kavanagh denied it. He served seven years of a 12-year sentence and emerged from prison in 2003 when it was reported he was no longer involved in crime. Other members of his extended family remained involved in gang activity, as organised criminals switched from heists to hard drugs. His nephew Thomas 'Bomber' Kavanagh, a Criminal Assets Bureau target in the mid 1990s, rose to become the Kinahan Cartel's number one man in the UK. Hie is serving a 21-year sentence for a multi-million-euro cocaine smuggling plot and got another conviction over a bid to hide weapons for the police to find in return for leniency. Jo Jo Kavanagh's nephews, brothers Gerard 'Hatchet' and Paul Kavanagh were also high- profile gangsters involved in the drugs trade linked to the Kinahan Cartel. 'Hatchet' Kavanagh was murdered in Spain in 2014 while Paul died in 2015 after being shot in Drumcondra after being lured to a meeting.
Sunday World
06-07-2025
- Sunday World
Hezbollah funded record €157m Cork coke haul on MV Matthew
Kinahans collaborated with Islamic group to organise botched smuggling bid Dramatic footage of the major operation involving the Army Rangers, Customs, Gardaí, and the Navy was released on Saturday showing how they successfully boarded and captured the drugs ship as part of a joint operation. A record 2.2 tonnes of cocaine, worth around €157m, was seized on the ship off the coast of Cork after the dramatic operation which saw Army Rangers abseil onto the vessel after a Navy warship fired warning shots and gave pursuit off the coast southwest Ireland in September 2023. Drugs found on the MV Matthew Garda Assistant Commissioner Angela Willis confirmed yesterday that the Kinahan Organised Crime Group were being investigated in relation to the seizure. 'It would be reasonable to assume they would be one of a number of organised crime groups that would be involved in something of this nature.' Sources said the Kinahans are believed to have worked with multiple organised crimes groups, including a Scottish-based mob, European gangs, Iranian criminals and even terror organisation Hezbollah in organising the drugs shipment which was sourced from Clan de Golfo drug cartel in Colombia. Two Iranian men convicted this week over the haul are understood to have links to Hezbollah and the court was told there was a 'major Iranian nexus' to the operation. Sources also said there were indications of links between criminals involved in the plot and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a feared branch of the Iranian army. Officials refused to comment on any involvement of terror groups or state actors at a press conference in Haulbowline Naval Base in Cork on Saturday. While the Kinahan Cartel's Irish arm has taken major blows, it still operates on a global level and has made new alliances in recent years. Gang boss Daniel Kinahan David Caunter, director of Interpol's emerging crime directorate, told the Sunday World that the Kinahans were in the top tier of organised crime groups on Interpol's radar. 'I would say they are a top criminal organisation at the top level.' He said that he believes the heads of the cartel will be brought to justice. 'I think the arrest of Sean McGovern and extradition back here sends a clear message to organised crime that the reach extends across borders.' Asked if he felt Daniel Kinahan and other top players would eventually face justice, he said he was 'optimistic'. He added that the so-called super-cartel – which involved the Kinahans, the Balkan Tito and Dino Clan, Italian mafia boss Raffaele Imperiale and Dutch Moroccan trafficker, Ridouan Taghi – has now evolved after numerous senior figures were arrested and new alliances were formed globally. 'I think it continues to evolve. These cartels are very resilient. They are looking for new ways to get their drugs to market. It's changing. Drugs found on the MV Matthew 'They are looking to develop partnerships in parts of the world where they hadn't necessarily developed these partnerships before… that global connection is quite strong. 'The local traffickers may not understand that they are just a piece of this larger transnational global crime picture.' Read more 'We know that especially in the Middle East we have seen some connections down in South America between these organised crime groups and this case shows there are strong linkages.' He said that nowhere was safe for organised crime groups such as the Kinahans and their international partners. 'We will find you and bring you to justice,' he warned. He said he could not comment on any potential Hezbollah links but added: 'You do see how drug trafficking has become a national security issue. These criminal groups are quite strong and have unlimited resources. With that you're going to see that blending between various actors.' Busted: Soheil Jelveh (52) Busted: Cumali Ozgen (50) Busted: Vitaliy Vlasoi (33) He said Ireland was an obvious entry point into Europe to smuggle drugs because it is an island with a lot of coastline. Attempts to smuggle drugs by sea into Ireland escalated in recent years after clampdowns in European ports used by smugglers in the Netherlands and other jurisdictions. Gangs, including the Kinahans, have now turned their focus towards west Africa as an entry point smuggling route for drugs destined for Europe. Assistant Commissioner Willis said people like those sentenced this week were dispensable to cartels. 'Transnational organised crime gangs know no borders; they prey on people's vulnerability for their own financial gain. People are expendable who are no longer of use to the criminal organisation. Life is cheap and protecting their core criminal interest which is money is key priority.' She said anyone who consumes drugs is funding these criminal organisations and 'directly linked to the misery and suffering' those gangs inflict on communities. While the haul was organised in the Kinahans' current base in the UAE, gardaí have also identified Irish-based criminals as part of further investigations following the seizure. 'The next phase of the operation is to look at the peripheral involvement of other people here in Ireland and abroad, and that phase has now commenced and that will also include looking at asset recovery of those people.' Busted: Harold Estoesta (31) Busted: Saeid Hassani (39) The dramatic video of the joint operation to take down the MV Matthew included messages and voice notes from a United Arab Emirates criminal with links to Hezbollah describing himself as Captain Noah, who was urging the crew not to panic even after authorities have engaged with them. However, he later said he was close to a 'heart attack' as the Navy gave pursuit and eventually ordered the crew to burn the drugs when he realised they were going to be stormed. Assistant Commissioner Willis said authorities believe Captain Noah is still alive and operating in the Middle East. Members of Army Ranger Wing stormed and captured the vessel in less than 10 minutes and the Irish Naval Service fired warning shots after the vessel failed to stop and tried to sail away destined for Sierra Leone. On Friday, eight men received prison sentences combing 129 years in relation to the seizure. Six men pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine for sale or supply on board the MV Matthew between September 24 and 26 2023. Dutch national Cumali Ozgen (49), who was described as the 'eyes and ears of the criminal organisation' on board the vessel, received a sentence of 20 years, while the second officer, Filipino Harold Estoesta (31) received a sentence of 18 years. The captain of the vessel, Iranian Soheil Jelveh (51) received 17-and-a-half years in prison. Ukrainian nationals Vitaliy Vlasoi (33) received a 16-and-a-half-year sentence and Mykhailo Gavryk (32) received 14 years' imprisonment. Irish Army Rangers abseiling down to the MV Matthew before seizing the ship Footage as eight men jailed for involvement in Ireland's largest drugs haul Saeid Hassani (40), who was the third officer, received a 15-year sentence. Two other men, who were on the boat, the Castlemore , that had been purchased in Castletownbere to collect drugs from the main vessel, were also sentenced for attempting to possess cocaine for sale or supply. Ukrainian national Vitaliy Lapa (62), with an address at Rudenka, Repina Str in Berdyansk, received a sentence of 14-and-a-half years. Jamie Harbron (31), of South Avenue, Billingham in the UK, received a sentence of 13-and-a-half years in prison. The company who bought the MV Matthew cargo ship set up a website just six weeks before the seizure, with servers based in the United Arab Emirates boasting how their 'extensive network of partners and port authorities allow us to efficiently navigate through various regions'. Busted: Jamie Harbron (31) Busted: Vitaliy Lapa (62) The ship, which flew under the Panama flag, was purchased by the newly formed company Matthew Maritime just six weeks before the seizure. It was called the MV Honmon before its name was changed to the MV Matthew while it was travelling through the Caribbean from Aruba to Willemstad in Curaçao. Matthew Maritime is headquartered in the Marshall Islands in the central Pacific Ocean and shares an address with several shipping companies who have been placed under international sanctions for a variety of reasons. Matthew Maritime claimed that the company has carried out 1,000 deliveries on 1,216 voyages to 100 international ports despite the fact the company itself was only set up in July. The MV Matthew is also the only ship that Matthew Maritime owned and it had not made 1,216 voyages. The website for Matthew Maritime was also only set up in July 2023 and remains online makes various claims about the firm which do not seem to match up with a company with one ship that was only set up a few months previously. They describe the company as having 'a strong industry legacy and a worldwide presence'. 'We specialize in managing bulk carrier vessels with precision and expertise, ensuring the smooth and secure transportation of dry cargo across the globe. 'Our unwavering dedication to quality, environmental stewardship, and advanced technology distinguishes us as the go-to choice for clients seeking seamless shipping solutions and profitable ventures in the maritime domain. Come aboard as we chart a course towards prosperity and sustainability together.' The movements of the MV Matthew in the run-up to the seizure had raised suspicions with various authorities. It travelled through various stops in the Caribbean, including the island of Curaçao, before heading to Georgetown in Guyana in South America. It picked up cargo before sailing across the Atlantic to Morocco and on towards Irish waters. While it initially listed its next destination as Gdansk in Poland this was changed to Belfast mid-journey. Matthew Maritime did not make any attempt to claim the MV Matthew in the almost two years since it was stormed by the Defence Forces and seized by the State. It emerged yesterday that a potential buyer has now been found for the vessel.
RTÉ News
05-07-2025
- RTÉ News
Interpol probes international connections to MV Matthew cocaine haul
Interpol's director of organised and emerging crime says they have been successful in identifying criminal connections to South America and the Middle East as the investigation into those behind the attempted importation of €157 million worth of cocaine on the MV Matthew, moves internationally. Speaking at a briefing into the background to the seizure of the €157 million worth of cocaine, Dave Cantor said they have been successful in identifying criminal connections to South American as well as to the Middle East. Also speaking at the briefing, Assistant Garda Commission Angela Willis said that their "investigations to date indicate that a number of transglobal organised crime networks would be required for an operation as significant as this". The Joint Task Force behind the biggest seizure of cocaine in the State's history declined to comment on reports that it may have been funded by elements of the Iranian regime and Hezbollah. Ms Willis said the first phase of the operation involved the arrest of the eight people that were sentenced to a total of 129 years in prison yesterday. "The next phase is to look at the peripheral involvement of other people here in Ireland, and abroad, and that phase has now commenced and that will also look at asset recovery off those people". Ms Willis indicated the Kinahan organised crime group forms part of their investigation. "It would be reasonable to assume that they (Kinahans) would be one of a number of organised crime groups that would be involved in something of this nature." The drugs were seized following a joint garda, Revenue, and Defence Forces operation in September 2023 after army rangers forcibly boarded a cargo ship at sea. Six were hired in Dubai by a transnational organised crime group before flying to South America for the international drug trafficking operation. They were arrested on board the MV Matthew, having ignored instructions from the LÉ William Butler Yeats naval vessel five times and tried to burn the drugs on board. Two other men bought a boat, the Castlemore, in Castletownbere to collect the drugs from the mothership, but it ran aground off the coast of Wexford and they had to be rescued by the coastguard. All eight were sentenced to imprisonment yesterday with sentences from 13 and a half years to 20 years.
Irish Daily Mirror
15-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Daily Mirror
Kinahan cartel in new battle to keep laundered drug money
The Kinahan cartel are in a new battle to keep their laundered drug money. The Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates in Dubai where Christy Kinahan Snr and his sons Christy Jnr and Daniel are all living has started a new war against money laundering. Six foreign exchange houses were fined millions in recent weeks for breaching the rules. But now the crackdown has spread across several sectors previously untouched by the regulator – property, gold and jewellery trading plus auditing and corporate service providers. The UAE Central Bank confirmed it is now working hand in hand with the Dubai police to increase and tighten up surveillance on suspicious transactions across all businesses. They have created new data sharing channels so they can identify the true individuals behind corporate structures and financial dealings. The Dubai regulator and government said there is now zero tolerance for institutions who fail to protect their financial system from abuse. Two foreign banks were also fined along with individual executives caught breaking the rules. A senior Garda source said: 'This move will put serious financial pressure on the Kinahans and all their business interests in Dubai. 'They own a portfolio of properties in the Gulf with many held in the names of other people plus a number of so called legitimate businesses. The authorities in Dubai are cleaning up their act and no longer want to be a heaven for various international criminals.' The UAE has also come under pressure from various other countries including both the EU and the United States to meet global financial and business compliance standards. The latest crackdown comes after the extradition from Dubai back to Ireland over a week ago of top Kinahan gang member Sean McGovern – a right hand man of the family. He is currently being detained at the maximum security Portlaoise Prison on murder charges. Last Monday, the Garda Commissioner Drew Harris warned the notorious crime family that they were coming from them. Both he and the Government are increasingly confident they can get the three Kinahans back home to stand trial for a variety of serious charges. The United States is also after them and has five million dollars each for their capture. Mr Harris was speaking on Monday – 12 days after Daniel Kinahan's key confidant Sean McGovern was sent back from Dubai to face serious charges in his native Dublin, including murder. He added: 'They should be worried. Ourselves and other law enforcement are fixed on them, and we are fixed on bringing them all to justice.' Speaking at Garda HQ in Dublin's Phoenix Park, Mr Harris warned the leaders – who like McGovern were hit with sanctions by United States authorities in April 2022 – were the subject of an unprecedented international law enforcement operation. He said: 'They should have been worried now for a number of years because there's huge effort, huge investigative effort, and international effort, has gone into the investigation of the overall Kinahan organised crime gang. 'A lot of things which they 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 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, UAE authorities have worked to support the extradition. And you see an individual then extradited back to Ireland to face justice here, and that's the correct thing to do.' The sanctions also saw each of the Kinahan trio have a bounty of $5million placed on their heads. And Mr Harris told other members of the gang that they should consider turning their bosses in and taking the reward money. He added: 'I would also point out the other senior lieutenants within the Kinahan Organised Crime group who are now facing justice or are imprisoned, and the sanctions and the rewards still stand. 'And I would point to there's $15million 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 Grime Gang of the perilous position that they're now in. 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.' The Gardaí and international police forces and intelligence agencies are watching the cartel leaders in case they try to make a run from Dubai. The Kinahans have been living the high life in the Gulf since they fled Marbella in Spain in 2017 and are running their worldwide drugs operation from there. The Garda source added: 'If they run out of money, they will be easier to catch.'
