Kinahan gangster Peadar Keating told Cartel boss's right-hand-man McGovern to flee country
Sean McGovern was warned to get out of Ireland because Gardaí were closing in on him over the murder of 'Duck Egg' Kirwan
McGovern was flown by the Irish Air Corps from Dubai and brought to court in Dublin under Garda escort
Sean McGovern will face trial for murder and other gang-related charges
Sean McGovern fled to Dubai after being warned by Kinahan gangster Peadar Keating the Gardaí were coming for him, the Sunday World can reveal.
McGovern was brought before a sitting of the Special Criminal Court on Thursday evening after being extradited from Dubai following a lengthy legal battle.
The Drimnagh native, previously described as Daniel Kinahan's right-hand man, showed no emotion as he was charged with four offences under Ireland's anti-gangland laws, as well being charged with the murder of Noel 'Duck Egg' Kirwan.
Wearing a T-shirt and sporting a shaven head, the 39-year-old stared stoney-faced into the distance as the charges were read out before the three-judge court.
He was then transferred to Portlaoise Prison, where he is now being housed in the high-security jail's A5 wing, along with other protected inmates.
Today, the Sunday World can reveal how:
Sean McGovern fled to Dubai after being warned the net was closing in on him over Noel Kirwan's murder.
Rumours McGovern had been given bail in Dubai were untrue and he was kept in a hell-hole prison.
The Kinahans have been converting their assets to cryptocurrency and using a technique called 'block-hopping' to hide from law officials.
McGovern landed in Baldonnell Airport on Thursday evening after being flown out of Dubai International Airport by the Irish Air Corps under high security.
Sean McGovern will face trial for murder and other gang-related charges
Niall Donald: Cartel lieutenant McGovern's extradition will be causing Daniel Kinahan some sleepless nights
One source told the Sunday World that McGovern may well be 'relieved' to be back in Ireland after spending months in a hell-hole prison in Dubai.
'There were always rumours going around that he got bail, but the truth is he was hasn't seen sunlight for months.
'He received no special treatment in Dubai and was being held under really harsh conditions in the prison.'
He added: 'I would imagine he was relived to be back in Ireland, even if he is facing a possible life sentence.'
McGovern's extradition is a major blow to the Kinahan Cartel and shows that the Gulf State is no longer a safe haven for the gang's leadership.
It also marks a major success for the Gardaí and the Government, who have had to show both persistence and patience in dealing with the autocratic and closed system in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
For the years, the Kinahans appeared to be untouchable in the Gulf, where they openly ran businesses and purchased properties.
A source told the Sunday World that McGovern had decided to get out of Ireland after receiving a warning from Kinahan associate Peadar Keating.
Like McGovern, Keating was a loyal lieutenant of Kinahan Cartel boss Thomas 'Bomber' Kavanagh for decades in Ireland.
Peadar Keating told McGovern to leave Ireland
He is currently in prison over an attempt to kill Hutch loyalist James 'Mago' Gately in a plot that was directed by Daniel Kinahan from Dubai.
After Keating was arrested over the Mago murder plot, he is said to have warned McGovern to get out of the country before gardaí worked their way up the ladder to him.
'He was told by Keating that it was now or never and to get out while he still could and that it was only going one way.'
Following McGovern's arrival in Dubai in 2017, he was taken into Daniel Kinahan's inner circle with the Cartel boss arranging for him to live in a plush apartment in Dubai's Marina District.
By the time the US Treasury sanctioned the top-tier members of the group, McGovern found his face up there with Christy Kinahan Snr and his sons Daniel and Christopher Jnr, along with their money launderer Johnny Morrissey and the boys' childhood pals Ian Dixon and Bernard Clancy, who also remain in Dubai.
During those sanctions the US Department of Treasury described McGovern as: 'Daniel Kinahan's adviser and closest confidant… Evidence indicates that all dealings with Daniel Kinahan go through Sean McGovern who managed communications on behalf of Daniel Kinahan.'
However, a source told the Sunday World that, despite his alleged senior position in the Cartel, he kept a low-profile.
'He did what he was told to do, when he was told to do it. He wasn't out socialising with Kinahan and the boxing and sports stars all the time.
Gardaí believe Daniel Kinahan continues to live openly in Dubai, where his brother Christy Jnr and father Christy Snr are also based.
McGovern was flown by the Irish Air Corps from Dubai and brought to court in Dublin under Garda escort
Despite rumours to the contrary, Kinahan has made no effort to flee the UAE ahead of an arrest warrant potentially being issued by an Irish court.
However, it is believed the Kinahans have made determined attempts to put their wealth beyond the reach of law enforcement officials.
The Cartel leadership are said to have converted huge amounts of their drug money and assets into cryptocurrencies.
It is suspected the Kinahans are seeking to convert Bitcoin and Ethereum assets into privacy-focused cryptocurrencies that are almost impossible to trace.
According to a recent report the Kinahans have been buying Monero or Z-cash cryptocurrencies, which are difficult to trace.
They have then been using a process called 'chain-hopping' – where one cryptocurrency is converted from one blockchain to another through decentralised exchanges.
Chain-hopping is the latest technique used by money launderers where cryptocurrency owners move rapidly between different cryptocurrencies.
Criminals transfer assets from one blockchain to another to erase any traces of illegal activity. This process has been described as similar to laundering money through various small businesses in the real world to make it look clean.
Sean McGovern will face trial for murder and other gang-related charges
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