Latest news with #Hutch-Kinahan
Irish Independent
6 days ago
- Irish Independent
Senior Kinahan Cartel member Sean McGovern charged in Dublin court with murdering grandfather Noel Kirwan
The 39-year-old has this evening also been charged with directing a criminal organisation involved in the conspiracy to murder a rival gangster after being extradited from Dubai. The alleged offences were carried out as part of the Hutch-Kinahan feud which claimed up to 18 lives both in Ireland and abroad. McGovern, formerly of Kildare Road in Crumlin, is the most senior member of the Kinahan crime group to be charged before the Irish courts. A significant security operation was in place at the Criminal Courts of Justice on Parkgate Street with more than 40 gardaí, including senior investigators and armed detectives, present for the hearing. The father-of-two was arrested earlier today after stepping off a military plane at Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnell, west Dublin, that had brought him under garda escort from the United Arab Emirates. Detective Sergeant Donal Daly gave evidence of arresting the accused for the purposes of charging him and explained that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) certified that he should be charged before the non-jury court. The defence counsel said at the outset of the hearing that they were reserving their position in relation to the lawfulness of his arrest and the jurisdiction of the court. Sean McGovern is accused of the feud murder of Noel Kirwan (62) at St Ronan's Drive in Clondalkin, Dublin 22, on December 22, 2016. The grandfather, known as 'Duck Egg', was shot dead as he sat in his car with his partner in the driveway of her home. Mr Kirwan was not involved in the feud but was targeted after being spotted beside Gerard 'The Monk' Hutch at a funeral. McGovern is further accused of directing the activities of a criminal organisation in relation to Mr Kirwan's murder from October 20 to December 22, 2016. He is also charged with enhancing the abilities of a crime gang to carry out that murder between the same dates within the state. The court heard that Sean McGovern also faces two additional charges relating to a plot to murder James 'Mago' Gately, an associate of the Hutch gang, more than eight years ago. He is charged with both directing a crime gang to carry out surveillance of Gately, and facilitating a criminal organisation relating to the conspiracy to murder Gately between October 17, 2015, and April 6, 2017. The maximum penalty on conviction for directing a crime gang is life imprisonment, while McGovern faces the mandatory life sentence if found guilty of Mr Kirwan's murder. The accused appeared with a shaved head, wearing a grey T-shirt and grey tracksuit bottoms, socks and sandals. He only addressed the court to say 'yes' when asked if he was Sean McGovern. No application for bail was made as this can only be sought before the High Court on charges of murder or organised crime offences. Ms Justice Karen O'Connor, presiding, remanded McGovern in custody and he is due to appear before the court again on June 5. A garda spokesperson earlier today said McGovern had "been the subject of an Interpol Red Notice'. "An Garda Síochána has developed major international partnerships in our efforts to target transnational organised crime groups. "Our relationship with authorities across the world including with the Ministry of Justice at judicial level in the United Arab Emirates, and on a police-to-police basis, is valued and one which we will continue to develop. This relationship has been supported by Irish governmental and diplomatic efforts'.
Irish Independent
6 days ago
- Irish Independent
Senior Kinahan Cartel member Sean McGovern charged with murdering grandfather Noel Kirwan in Dublin court
The 39-year-old has this evening also been charged with directing a criminal organisation involved in the conspiracy to murder a rival gangster after being extradited from Dubai. The alleged offences were carried out as part of the Hutch-Kinahan feud which claimed up to 18 lives both in Ireland and abroad. McGovern, formerly of Kildare Road in Crumlin, is the most senior member of the Kinahan crime group to be charged before the Irish courts. A significant security operation was in place at the Criminal Courts of Justice on Parkgate Street with more than 40 gardaí, including senior investigators and armed detectives, present for the hearing. The father-of-two was arrested earlier today after stepping off a military plane at Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnell, west Dublin, that had brought him under garda escort from the United Arab Emirates. Detective Sergeant Donal Daly gave evidence of arresting the accused for the purposes of charging him and explained that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) certified that he should be charged before the non-jury court. The defence counsel said at the outset of the hearing that they were reserving their position in relation to the lawfulness of his arrest and the jurisdiction of the court. Sean McGovern is accused of the feud murder of Noel Kirwan (62) at St Ronan's Drive in Clondalkin, Dublin 22, on December 22, 2016. The grandfather, known as 'Duck Egg', was shot dead as he sat in his car with his partner in the driveway of her home. Mr Kirwan was not involved in the feud but was targeted after being spotted beside Gerard 'The Monk' Hutch at a funeral. McGovern is further accused of directing the activities of a criminal organisation in relation to Mr Kirwan's murder from October 20 to December 22, 2016. He is also charged with enhancing the abilities of a crime gang to carry out that murder between the same dates within the state. The court heard that Sean McGovern also faces two additional charges relating to a plot to murder James 'Mago' Gately, an associate of the Hutch gang, more than eight years ago. He is charged with both directing a crime gang to carry out surveillance of Gately, and facilitating a criminal organisation relating to the conspiracy to murder Gately between October 17, 2015, and April 6, 2017. The maximum penalty on conviction for directing a crime gang is life imprisonment, while McGovern faces the mandatory life sentence if found guilty of Mr Kirwan's murder. The accused appeared with a shaved head, wearing a grey T-shirt and grey tracksuit bottoms, socks and sandals. He only addressed the court to say 'yes' when asked if he was Sean McGovern. No application for bail was made as this can only be sought before the High Court on charges of murder or organised crime offences. Ms Justice Karen O'Connor, presiding, remanded McGovern in custody and he is due to appear before the court again on June 5. A garda spokesperson earlier today said McGovern had "been the subject of an Interpol Red Notice'. "An Garda Síochána has developed major international partnerships in our efforts to target transnational organised crime groups. "Our relationship with authorities across the world including with the Ministry of Justice at judicial level in the United Arab Emirates, and on a police-to-police basis, is valued and one which we will continue to develop. This relationship has been supported by Irish governmental and diplomatic efforts'.
Irish Independent
6 days ago
- Irish Independent
Senior Kinahan Cartel member Sean McGovern charged with murdering Dublin grandfather Noel Kirwan in Dublin court
The 39-year-old has this evening also been charged with directing a criminal organisation involved in the conspiracy to murder a rival gangster after being extradited from Dubai. The alleged offences were carried out as part of the Hutch-Kinahan feud which claimed up to 18 lives both in Ireland and abroad. McGovern, formerly of Kildare Road in Crumlin, is the most senior member of the Kinahan crime group to be charged before the Irish courts. A significant security operation was in place at the Criminal Courts of Justice on Parkgate Street with more than 40 gardaí, including senior investigators and armed detectives, present for the hearing. The father-of-two was arrested earlier today after stepping off a military plane at Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnell, west Dublin, that had brought him under garda escort from the United Arab Emirates. Detective Sergeant Donal Daly gave evidence of arresting the accused for the purposes of charging him and explained that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) certified that he should be charged before the non-jury court. The defence counsel said at the outset of the hearing that they were reserving their position in relation to the lawfulness of his arrest and the jurisdiction of the court. Sean McGovern is accused of the feud murder of Noel Kirwan (62) at St Ronan's Drive in Clondalkin, Dublin 22, on December 22, 2016. The grandfather, known as 'Duck Egg', was shot dead as he sat in his car with his partner in the driveway of her home. Mr Kirwan was not involved in the feud but was targeted after being spotted beside Gerard 'The Monk' Hutch at a funeral. McGovern is further accused of directing the activities of a criminal organisation in relation to Mr Kirwan's murder from October 20 to December 22, 2016. He is also charged with enhancing the abilities of a crime gang to carry out that murder between the same dates within the state. The court heard that Sean McGovern also faces two additional charges relating to a plot to murder James 'Mago' Gately, an associate of the Hutch gang, more than eight years ago. He is charged with both directing a crime gang to carry out surveillance of Gately, and facilitating a criminal organisation relating to the conspiracy to murder Gately between October 17 2015, and April 6, 2017. The maximum penalty on conviction for directing a crime gang is life imprisonment, while McGovern faces the mandatory life sentence if found guilty of Mr Kirwan's murder. The accused appeared with a shaved head, wearing a grey t-shirt and grey tracksuit bottoms, socks and sandals. He only addressed the court to say 'yes' when asked if he was Sean McGovern. No application for bail was made as this can only be sought before the High Court on charges of murder or organised crime offences. Ms Justice Karen O'Connor, presiding, remanded McGovern in custody and he is due to appear before the court again on June 5. A garda spokesperson earlier today said McGovern had "been the subject of an Interpol Red Notice'. "An Garda Síochána has developed major international partnerships in our efforts to target transnational organised crime groups. "Our relationship with authorities across the world including with the Ministry of Justice at judicial level in the United Arab Emirates, and on a police-to-police basis, is valued and one which we will continue to develop. This relationship has been supported by Irish governmental and diplomatic efforts'.
Sunday World
7 days ago
- Sunday World
Sean McGovern: Who is he and how did he rise to the top of the Kinahan Cartel?
Sean McGovern has been extradited to Ireland to face murder charges, but how did he get so close to Daniel Kinahan? When Sean McGovern landed in the UAE in 2017, he was greeted with open arms by Daniel Kinahan who looked after him and set him up in a plush apartment in Dubai's Marian District. Like many other footsoldiers in the Kinahan Cartel's bloody war with the Hutch gang, McGovern had decided to get out of Dublin as the garda's net started to close in on the gang. But unlike many other gang members who were forgotten about when they were no longer useful, McGovern was taken into the bosom of the Cartel leadership. The once-unremarkable street thug would go on to become Daniel Kinahan's right-hand man – his most trusted criminal confidante who effectively managed the international cocaine trade for the cartel. But who is Sean McGovern? And how did he rise to the top of the Kinahan Cartel? Born on February 12th 1986, to parents Desmond and Terry McGovern, Sean grew up in Crumlin where he forged friendships with Liam and David Byrne as well as their cousins Liam Roe and Liam Brannigan. By the late 90s, the Byrne brothers were already serious players in Dublin's drugs trade and were a top target for gardai. In 2001, the Byrne's other childhood pal, Declan Gavin, was brutally stabbed to death by Brian Rattigan, sparking the Crumlin-Drimnagh feud. McGovern would side with the Byrnes and would stay loyal to them throughout the bloody war fought out on Dublin's streets. Over the next decade, Ireland's cocaine boom would see the Byrne Organised Crime Gang – led by Thomas 'Bomber' Kavanagh from his UK base – make a fortune and rise to the top of the criminal underworld. Gardai believe the gang used the second-hand car business to launder huge amounts of drug money. Sean McGovern News in 90 Seconds - May 29th In 2015, McGovern was made the director of LS Active Car Sales, a business set up by Liam Byrne in June 2013 to launder their dirty drug money. While his fellow cartel members were often mentioned in the pages of the newspapers, McGovern remained relatively unknown to the public. But everything changed on February 5th 2016, when a shooting at a boxing weigh-in in the Regency hotel put a spotlight on the cartel, and its members. As a five-man hit team stormed the event in search of Daniel Kinahan, a gunman wearing fake Garda tactical gear shot McGovern once in the stomach. Although injured, he disguised himself among the crowd and walked out of the hotel, on his way he passed another gunman who didn't notice him. The Regency Hotel shooting in 2016 led to the outbreak of the Hutch-Kinahan feud, which was followed by a spike in gangland murders. Photo: Colin O'Riordan McGovern was hospitalised but released days later. He refused to co-operate with the Garda investigation, and wouldn't give them any information. His childhood pal, David Byrne, was shot dead by one of the hitmen, dying alone on the floor at the hotel's reception desk. The Hutch/Kinahan feud, which claimed up to 18 lives, escalated following the attack, as the Kinahans vowed vengeance. In the weeks after the shooting, a Twitter (now X) account popped up under the username '@SaorSean'. The profile detailed aspects of the Regency Hotel plot, as well as following and tagging the accounts of Daniel Kinahan, Gary Finnegan and other well-known members of the gang. In public posts, the Hutch gang and family were being threatened, bringing it to the attention of the Gardai and crime reporters alike. One sinister post read: 'Hutch/Kinahan feud – who are most in danger of being liquidated next? Reports coming in hourly!' The account was eventually suspended but re-emerged under the username '@seerscryer'. In private messages to journalists, the person behind the account claimed to be an 'intelligence officer' with a particular interest in Dublin's underworld, and in Christy Kinahan Snr. A garda investigation uncovered that the Kinahan cartel had their own network of online bloggers, who leaked information to national media as part of a communications strategy. It was eventually concluded that Sean McGovern was running the account on behalf of his boss, which is how he forged a deep friendship with Daniel Kinahan and elevated himself to the position of his right-hand man. His hard work sucking up to the kingpin soon paid off as he was welcomed to the Kinahan bolthole in the UAE following the murder of Noel 'Duck Egg' Kirwan. Noel 'Duck Egg' Kirwan was killed after attending the funeral of a Hutch family member Kirwin became the 12th victim of the bloody feud when he was shot dead outside his home in Ronanstown, Co Dublin, in December 2016. The 62-year-old had no involvement with either faction in the feud, but was targeted after he was spotted at the funeral of Eddie Hutch, the older brother of Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch, who had been shot dead three days following the Regency attack. In December 2018, Jason Keating was handed down ten years in prison for assisting in the killing. In 2024, two more men, Michael Crotty and Declan Brady, were jailed for their roles in Kirwin's death. Meanwhile, in July 2022, Martin Aylmer was handed down eight years and four months behind bars for his role in the killing, and for the attempted murder of Hutch associate James 'Mago' Gately. McGovern was also arrested in connection with the plot to kill Gately and quizzed by the Gardai. James 'Mago' Gately He was released without charge, and this is when he took his chance and fled to Dubai with his family. Meanwhile, the Criminal Assets Bureau were mopping up the spoils of the cartel's ill-gotten gains. An investigation into McGovern's finances led to the seizure of the house where he lived with his partner Anita Freeman and their two children, He paid for the house with €155,000 in cash, which was wired from Mauritius to a bank in Ireland. The investigation also found that Anita was receiving a rent subsidy payment from the local council, which she was paying into Liam Byrne's bank account. The home on the Kildare Road, which was extensively renovated, but had its fixtures and fittings, including the bathrooms and kitchen, ripped out before CAB were handed over the keys. Despite his financial woes, Sean McGovern's allegiance to Daniel Kinahan didn't waver. A wanted poster of Christopher Kinahan Jr, Daniel Kinahan and Christopher Kinahan In April 2022, a press conference was held by An Garda Síochána in conjunction with the US Department of State, Europol and the UK National Crime Agency. As they announced sanctions against the Cartel, McGovern was branded as Kinahan's 'closest confidant' as well as the seller of 'multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine'. They also announced he was wanted for murder and directing, and participating in an organised criminal group. A European Arrest Warrant was issued by the High Court for the arrest of Sean McGovern in April 2022. It said he was wanted for 'Murder and Directing and Participating in a Criminal Organisation.' He was arrested in Dubai in October 2024 on the foot of an Interpol Red Notice. Sean McGovern was then jailed in Dubai Central Prison, also known as Al Awir, where he remained until his extradition to Ireland.
RTÉ News
7 days ago
- RTÉ News
Senior Kinahan figure on way to Ireland after extradition
One of the most senior figures in the Kinahan Organised Crime Group, who is wanted in Ireland to face charges of murder and involvement with a criminal gang, has been extradited from the United Arab Emirates. Sean McGovern, who was named in the Special Criminal Court as one of the leaders of the group, is on a Defence Forces military aircraft to Ireland. The Irish Air Corps Airbus C295 plane which is bringing him back to Ireland is due to land later today. The aircraft left Casement Aerodrome in Dublin on Monday morning en route to Dubai. It stopped in Marseille in France and Larnaca in Cyprus before arriving in Dubai on Tuesday afternoon. It flew out of Al Maktoum International Airport at around 8pm Irish time last night with Mr McGovern on board, escorted by gardaí and military personnel. The 39-year-old, who gardaí say is Daniel Kinahan's right-hand man, is wanted for the murder of Noel Kirwan, an innocent man who was shot dead as part of the Hutch-Kinahan feud in December 2016. Mr McGovern is the first person to be extradited from the United Arab Emirates to Ireland. He has been in custody for over seven months and is being escorted back to Ireland by gardaí who are expected to formally arrest him when his plane lands here, and charge him before the Special Criminal Court. A European Arrest Warrant has already been issued by the High Court. Mr McGovern was arrested by police in Dubai on 10 October 2024 on foot of an Interpol red notice, a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action. He has been contesting his extradition since, but the fact that he has been put on an Irish military plane and is being flown back to Ireland is evidence that he has lost that fight and that extradition proceedings in the UAE have now concluded. Interpol described Mr McGovern as "one of Ireland's most wanted fugitives" and said the red notice was published to support the ongoing collaboration between the Irish and UAE authorities. It also confirmed that Mr McGovern is wanted for charges including murder and directing an organised crime group. Mr McGovern is one of the seven senior figures in the Kinahan Organised Crime Group named and sanctioned by the US authorities. Originally from Drimnagh in Dublin, he was part of the Byrne Organised Crime Group, the Dublin faction of the Kinahan Organised Crime Group.
