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Irish Times

Leading Kinahan cartel figure Sean McGovern being extradited from UAE to Ireland

Sean McGovern, one of the senior figures in the Kinahan cartel based in Dubai, is being extradited from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after a court there sanctioned the move. The Dubliner is expected to be back in Ireland imminently and was on a Defence Forces flight on Wednesday evening. McGovern is expected to arrive on the flight into Dublin tomorrow, with the journey back to Ireland a protracted one due to stops for refuelling. He is expected to appear before the Special Criminal Court tomorrow and would be remanded in custody pending trial. He is wanted to face charges in the Republic relating to the Kinahan-Hutch feud, including murder and also directing organised crime. He was detained in Dubai last October and has been in custody there ever since. READ MORE McGovern is the first senior cartel figure to be extradited from Dubai, and that will now increase confidence about the UAE being willing to also act against cartel founder Christy Kinahan snr and his sons, Daniel and Christopher. McGovern, a Dubliner who was injured in the Regency Hotel shooting in 2016, is wanted in the State to face charges over the December 2016 murder of Noel Kirwan, an innocent man gunned down because he was linked to the Hutch family, some of whom were friends of his. McGovern (38), who was arrested in the early hours of Thursday. October 10th, at his home in Dubai, was one of seven leading figures in the Kinahan cartel sanctioned by the US authorities in 2022. He had been living openly in Dubai in recent years, apparently in the belief he would not be arrested. The authorities in UAE had no extradition agreements with the European Union or individual member states, a factor that has drawn many leading criminals to Dubai from all over Europe. However, McGovern's extradition is taking place as part of once-off arrangement. Since his arrest an extradition treaty having been put in place for future cases involving Irish criminals. McGovern was in 2022 described by the US Department of the Treasury as ' Daniel Kinahan 's adviser and closest confidant'. It added: 'evidence indicates that all dealings with Daniel Kinahan go through Sean McGovern.'