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Irish Times
5 days ago
- General
- Irish Times
Kinahan associate Sean McGovern arrested after landing in Ireland from Dubai and is due before Special Criminal Court
The man named in court as a key member of the Kinahan cartel based in Dubai, Sean McGovern, is due to appear before an evening sitting of the Special Criminal Court in Dublin after his extradition flight from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was delayed by around two hours. Gardaí confirmed on Thursday evening that they had arrested McGovern following his extradition. The 39-year-old Dubliner is facing a charge of murder, and of directing organised crime, related to the Kinahan-Hutch feud. The murder charge relates to the shooting dead of Noel Kirwan (62) in Clondalkin, Dublin, in December 2016. Mr Kirwan was not involved in the Kinahan-Hutch feud or organised crime but was shot dead because he was a friend of the Hutch family and had been photographed at the funeral of feud victim Eddie Hutch in February, 2016. READ MORE McGovern had been living in Dubai since about 2016 and was a close associate, and key ally, of cartel leader Daniel Kinahan. McGovern was arrested at his Dubai last October on foot of an extradition request from Ireland and has been in custody in UAE since then. A convoy of Garda Cars leave through the front gates at Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel, after An Aer Corps Airbus C-295 landed with Sean McGovern on board. Photograph: Alan Betson McGovern's flight landed at Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel, Co Kildare, early Thursday evening. He was being flown back to Ireland, under Garda escort, on board an Air Corps aircraft, which departed Dubai on Wednesday night and refuelled several times on the journey to Ireland. [ Analysis: High-risk extradition of Sean McGovern to involve armed escort and possible helicopter when flight lands in Dublin Opens in new window ] Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan has welcomed the extradition, though did not mention McGovern by name, adding it was proof of the 'excellent criminal justice co-operation' now in place between Ireland at the UAE. 'In recent years, the UAE and Ireland have worked together to advance criminal investigations into serious and organised crime,' he said. 'That strong cooperation was further strengthened by the decision to deploy a Garda liaison officer to Abu Dhabi last year and the negotiation of bilateral treaties on extradition and mutual legal assistance.' Those treaties had come into force on Sunday, May 18th, after 'tireless work' by the Garda and Department of Justice and their UAE counterparts. The events now unfolding demonstrated the 'government will work through the necessary steps to pursue organised crime groups inflicting misery on our communities.' The Garda's Deputy Commissioner Shawna Coxon said transnational crime gangs 'cause misery to communities not only in Ireland' but globally. 'They engage in murder, human trafficking and drug dealing,' she said. 'Tackling these gangs not only makes Ireland safer, but all the other countries they operate in as well.' The extradition was 'another significant development in on our continued work with international law enforcement partners to disrupt and dismantle transnational organised crime gangs'. Kinahan Cartel member Sean McGovern. Photograph: An Garda Síochána Also not mentioning McGovern by name, as the extradition process was ongoing when she spoke on Thursday evening, Deputy Commissioner Coxon she said it had come about after 'intricate investigative work' by the Garda and international law enforcement partners. 'This work is not possible without the assistance of the Department of Justice, the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Director of Public Prosecutions. 'I want to particularly thank the Ministry of Justice at a judicial level in the United Arab Emirates. Our police-to-police co-operation globally is critical to the dismantling of organised crime.'
Irish Times
6 days ago
- General
- 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.'
