Daniel Kinahan: Irish government jet travels to UAE for extradition

For more than 20 years the group has been responsible for importing tonnes of drugs and firearms around the world, the National Crime Agency (NCA) previously said.

The NCA said the crime group is linked to more than a dozen gangland murders.

The US Treasury Department describes the Kinahan cartel as one of the most dangerous in the world, comparable to crime organisations like Italy’s Camorra, Mexico’s Los Zetas and Japan’s Yakuza.

A reward of up to $5m (£3.84m) has also been offered by the US for information on the three most senior Kinahan gang members – Daniel, his father Christopher Snr, 65, and brother Christopher Jnr.

According to former Gardaí (Irish police) Commissioner Drew Harris, the gang is estimated to have made more than €1bn (£836,590,000) globally from its activities.

In 2022, Thomas Kavanagh, who the NCA said ran the group’s criminal operations in the UK, was jailed for 21 years alongside Gary Vickery and Daniel Canning, who were sentenced to 20 years and 19 and a half years respectively.

The NCA said evidence showed they were responsible for cocaine imports estimated to be up to £23.4m, and cannabis imports worth about £6.4m.

Daniel Kinahan’s lawyer previously told BBC Panorama that he has no criminal record or convictions and allegations about him being a crime boss are false and have no evidential basis.