Kinahan, suspected crime leader and former boxing promoter, taken into custody
LONDON — Daniel Kinahan, the purported head of one of Ireland’s largest criminal organizations and a co-founder of the boxing management firm MTK Global, has been detained in Dubai, according to reports from Irish media on Friday.
The Garda Síochána, Ireland’s national police service, stated that an Irish man in his late 40s was apprehended on Wednesday under a warrant issued by Irish courts concerning alleged serious organized crime activities.
The police force emphasized their “unwavering commitment to pursue those allegedly engaged in serious organized criminal conduct, regardless of their location.”
Dubai Police announced they had taken into custody an “Irish fugitive for his alleged involvement in an international organized crime syndicate.”
Authorities did not disclose Kinahan’s name, but Ireland’s national broadcaster, RTE, confirmed he was the individual arrested.
As a co-founder of the now-defunct MTK Global, Kinahan served as an advisor to former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. He has been photographed with Fury and has sought to arrange fights for him, including a proposed all-British superfight against Anthony Joshua that ultimately did not occur.
The High Court in Dublin had previously identified Kinahan, who resides in the United Arab Emirates, as a prominent figure in an organized crime group involved in international drug trafficking and firearm offenses.
A conflict between the Kinahan cartel and the rival Hutch gang has been associated with 18 murders in Ireland since 2015. In 2016, David Byrne, a member of the Kinahan cartel, was killed at a boxing weigh-in at the Regency Hotel in Dublin. Authorities suspect Kinahan was the intended target.
He subsequently relocated to Spain and then to Dubai.
In 2022, the U.S. government announced a $5 million reward for information leading to the “financial dismantling” of the Kinahan crime organization or the arrest and conviction of its leaders.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
