Live updates as Kinahan cartel boss Sean McGovern being extradited to Ireland to face justice
Kinahan cartel boss Sean McGovern is on his way back to Ireland - to face murder and gangland charges, it has emerged.
The Irish Mirror has learned that McGovern - described by United States authorities as Daniel Kinahan's closest confidant - is being flown back to Ireland from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates by the Air Corps and accompanied by Gardaí. It has taken off from Dubai International Airport in the last 15 minutes.
Sources tell us he is now on board an Air Corps' €120 million Casa C295 maritime surveillance plane. The crew, accompanied by Gardai, are understood to have left Ireland in recent days on the aircraft, before reaching Dubai on Tuesday evening after a 6,000km flight.
Dubai cops handed McGovern over to Gardaí this afternoon. The plane has begun the long flight home and is expected in Dublin late tomorrow afternoon.
McGovern, from Crumlin, is now expected to appear at the non-jury Special Criminal Court shortly after the C295 lands in Dublin. Gardaí will arrest him as soon as he lands and he will then be charged and brought to court.
The dramatic move follows Dubai's arrest of McGovern, 38, in the desert oil state last October. That was on foot of an extradition request from Irish authorities.
The request was made after the Director of Public Prosecutions ordered that McGovern be charged with two offences linked to the Kinahan Hutch feud, a war that left up to 18 men dead. McGovern is to be charged with the December 2016 murder in Clondalkin in the west of the capital of Noel Kirwan.
(Image: An Garda Siochana)
Mr Kirwan, 62, was shot dead in the driveway of his home. Gardaí believe the Kinahan cartel murdered the innocent Mr Kirwan simply because he had been seen in the company of Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch, 62, at the funeral of his brother Eddie. Eddie, 58, was shot dead by the cartel in February 2016 - three days after the Hutch gang's murderous attack on the Regency Airport Hotel that killed Kinahan ally David Byrne, 34.
McGovern was also injured in that attack, which was an attempt to murder Daniel Kinahan. McGovern refused to cooperate with Gardaí after the shooting.
Gardai have also been authorised to charge McGovern - who was one of seven people including Daniel, Christopher and Christy Kinahan - to be formally sanctioned by America in April 2022, for directing a crime gang. That is a rarely-used law that can see anyone convicted for life - which is also the penalty for someone found guilty of murder.
McGovern has been in custody in Dubai since October, but he was fighting the extradition request. But he lost that fight and is now back in Ireland - where he will now face justice.
Ireland had no extradition treaty with Dubai at the time, but former Justice Minister Helen McEntee and Garda Commissioner Drew Harris both lobbied UAE authorities to get McGovern arrested. Ireland and the UAE have now agreed a deal and that is sure to be bad news for the three Kinahan men - who are also holed up in the UAE.
Gardaí want them hit with serious charges, but the Director of Public Prosecutions has made no decision on those three men yet. Gardaí declined to comment when contacted this evening by Dublin Live.
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