Members of Kinahan crime gang should be ‘very worried'

Belfast Telegraph

4 hours ago

Drew Harris said that a 'huge and international' effort has gone into the investigation of the Kinahan crime gang.
He said that a lot of things which were said 'couldn't be done, have been done'.
Mr Harris made the comments after McGovern was extradited from the United Arab Emirates and charged with murder and other charges relating to directing the activities of a criminal organisation.
The 39-year-old appeared before the Special Criminal Court in Dublin amid high security almost two weeks ago.
Asked whether certain people involved in the Kinahan gang and living in Dubai should be worried, Mr Harris said: 'Yes, they should be worried. But they should have been worried now for a number of years, because this huge investigative effort, and international effort, has gone into the investigation of the overall Kinahan organised crime gang.
'A lot of things which said couldn't be done, have been done. So following on from the sanctions, the work then that we've undertaken with UAE, and the work that specifically we've undertaken them with the police in Dubai, has been very fruitful.
'They have been very active partners with us in terms of investigation, providing information, and obviously, then UAE authorities have worked to support the extradition.
'We see an individual then extradited back to Ireland to face justice here, and that's the correct thing to do.
'But I would also point out, the other senior lieutenants within the Kinahan organised crime group who are now facing justice or are imprisoned, the sanctions and the rewards still stand.'
Mr Harris said that the reward of 15 million US dollars for the three leaders of the gang still stands.
'I just want to remind others in the Kinahan organised crime gang of the perilous position that they're now in, that ourselves and other law enforcement are fixed on them, and we are fixed on bringing them all to justice,' Mr Harris added.
'So all of them should be worried, and they should be think 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.'
Deputy Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly said gardai will be 'absolutely relentless' in their pursuit of the criminals.
'I think the events last week are absolute evidence of that. And I think it's really important as well that everybody knows that there's other transnational organised criminal crime groups outside the Kinahan OCG and exactly the same for those, it doesn't matter where in the world they are, we will seek to have them extradited back to Ireland,' he added.
'Some of these people need to have a really good think, and have some serious life choices they can make.
'So extradition agreements, all the work by the Department of Justice, and the Department Foreign Affairs, are really important to our organisation.'