Kinahan Cartel lieutenant Sean McGovern being extradited from UAE to Ireland
'There has been major developments in this case in the Middle East, - Mr McGovern is on his way home,' a source told the Irish Independent.
The Irish Air Corps flight needs to take at least two stops on the way to Dublin.
Gardaí believe that Drimnagh man McGovern is Daniel Kinahan's right-hand man, and the US Treasury Department has claimed he "sells multi-kilogramme quantities of cocaine" on behalf of the cartel.
He has been held in a prison in Dubai since his arrest last October and he had previously launched a series of legal challenges to the extradition process.
He is also wanted on organised crime charges in this jurisdiction.
His original detention came after protracted consultation between An Garda Síochána, Interpol and police and justice authorities in Dubai and Ireland.
A European Arrest Warrant (EAW) was issued in April 2022 by the High Court for McGovern to face criminal charges here.
UAE authorities did not act on the warrant, but a formal request from the Department of Justice to the UAE equivalent was later issued.
McGovern's original arrest was seen by gardaí as a test case for the planned arrest and eventual extradition of cartel leader Kinahan on criminal charges.
Sources say McGovern's arrest has been a "major breakthrough" in garda efforts to take down the senior leadership of the cartel.
Since 2022, garda efforts have been concentrated on McGovern's extradition because, unlike the Kinahan leadership, he is facing criminal charges.
Gardai want to charge him with the murder of Noel 'Duck Egg' Kirwan (62) who was shot six times as he sat in his car on December 22, 2016 at St Ronan's Drive, Clondalkin, Dublin 22.
He is believed to have been targeted because of perceived links to members of the Hutch family who were at war with the Kinahan cartel at the time.
McGovern, a convicted drug dealer, suffered minor injuries after he was shot during the Regency Hotel bloodbath in February, 2016, when his gang was attacked by the Hutch gang.
He has been named in the Special Criminal Court by Detective Superintendent David Gallagher while giving evidence in the trial of Michael Crotty, who is accused of facilitating the murder of Noel Kirwan in 2016 by buying a mobile phone top-up for Sean McGovern.
He has also been identified by the US sanctions against the Kinahan Organised Crime Group.
In the US Treasury sanctions document, McGovern connections with the Kinahan Organised Crime Group are laid out.
They claimed that he was involved with a cover company being used by the gang to launder money.
McGovern 'was designated for materially assisting, sponsoring, or providing financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, Daniel Kinahan'.
The document alleged that McGovern: 'is Daniel Kinahan's advisor and closest confidant, and evidence indicates that all dealings with Daniel Kinahan go through Sean McGovern. Sean McGovern also has managed communications on behalf of Daniel Kinahan, and he sells multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine'.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sunday World
20 hours ago
- Sunday World
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 News in 90 June 4th
Irish Independent
a day ago
- Irish Independent
The Indo Daily: Gerry Adams – what €100K defamation win against the BBC means for his legacy, Sinn Féin and Irish media
A High Court jury delivered the verdict following a four-week trial in which Mr Adams claimed he was defamed by a BBC 'Spotlight' programme in which it was alleged he sanctioned the murder of an informer. Afterwards, Mr Adams said he took the case to put 'manners' on the BBC. The jury found that the BBC had defamed Mr Adams by suggesting he had sanctioned and approved the killing of Denis Donaldson, a Sinn Féin official who spied for Britain's MI5. It also rejected defences put forward by the BBC that the allegation was published in good faith and that it was fair and reasonable to do so. Mr Adams' legacy and how he will be viewed in the history books was very much at stake in the trial. Has this landmark case set a precedent for how media organisations can cover the Troubles in the future? Today on The Indo Daily, Fionnán Sheahan is joined by Shane Phelan, Legal Affairs Editor with the Irish Independent, and by John Downing, Political Correspondent with the Irish Independent to go through the key proceedings of the trial and examine what the verdict means for Mr Adams, Sinn Féin, the BBC and the media at large.
Irish Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
'Clock is ticking on Kinahan cartel after Sean McGovern extradition'
The clock is ticking on the Kinahan crime cartel. The successful extradition of murder suspect Sean McGovern last week from Dubai was a major coup for the Gardai and the Government. The courts will decide whether McGovern is innocent or guilty, it is not up to me to decide. But the bottom line is after years on the run abroad, a key ally of the Kinahan family has been brought home in handcuffs and under armed guard to face the music. The big question is what does it mean for the crime family's leaders Christy Snr, Daniel and Christy Jnr? All three have been gone from Ireland for over two decades so it will be difficult to link them to any crimes here. They lived for many years in Marbella on the Costa del Sol and then fled to Dubai almost 10 years ago when the Spanish cops arrested them and started sniffing around their drug-running operations. As soon as they were released because of a lack of clear evidence, the Kinahan clan upped sticks and fled the Costa overnight to the gulf, buying plush homes and investing in various legitimate businesses in Dubai. The father and sons are still residing there with their families even though the eyes of the Gardai and various western intelligence services are on them around the clock. Their cause has also not been helped by a €15 million collective bounty being put on their heads by the Americans who regard them as serious international drug traffickers and want them extradited to the US to face charges there, no less. The more the net tightens on the Kinahans, the bolder they get. A small army of Russian bodyguards protect them around the clock in Dubai but they have also built close ties with both the Russian and Iranian Governments. They wouldn't be short of another bolthole if they decide to do another runner. The rulers of Dubai are a clever bunch and will do whatever is in their own and country's best interests. They wouldn't bat an eyelid about hanging the Kinahan family out to dry if they become too much of an embarrassment to the United Arab Emirates. So don't be one bit surprised if one of these days, you hear that the three Kinahan lads are nicked in the middle of the night and thrown in jail. Life in a Dubai slammer is not, by all accounts, very nice. McGovern, by all accounts, was relieved to get back to Ireland after being held for eight months in an Arab jail. The wardens don't pay too much respect to human rights. Everyone arrested is presumed guilty until proven otherwise. The Gardai have built up a huge file on the activities of the Kinahan crime family right across the globe and it is gone to our Director of Public Prosecutions. He must decide what charges he wants proffered against Christy Snr, Daniel and Christy Jnr before the state formally seeks their extradition. A total of 18 people were killed during the much heralded Kinahan-Hutch feud with 14 fatal casualties on the Hutch side. The Kinahans were able from abroad to pay an army of assassins to do their dirty work and take out many innocent members of the Hutch family who had no act or part in the assassination of Kinahan henchman David Byrne in the Regency Hotel shooting which caused the feud in the first place. But, from a legal point of view, it will be very difficult to prove and also almost impossible to charge any of the three with murder. I am sure the Irish authorities will go after them for operating and directing an organised crime gang and then they have to persuade the powers that be in Dubai that there is a case to answer. Relations between the Irish Government and the United Arab Emirates have improved no end recently. The extradition of McGovern would not have been possible a couple of years ago. Dubai traditionally has turned a blind eye to criminals living in the kingdom so long as they spend and invest plenty of money there and don't commit any crimes while in Dubai. Everything kind of runs on a nod and a wink and the Kinahans have largely kept their nose clean there. But knowing them, they will do everything in their power to stay one step ahead of the cops and use their wealth and influence to try and skip Dubai when they need to. If they are arrested and brought home to stand trial it will be some coup for the Gardai and the Government. Do not bet against it happening.
