Head of criminal empire extradited and appeared in court in flip-flops

A dramatic development in the fight against organized crime in Europe: Daniel Kinahan, considered one of the world's primary crime targets, was extradited from the UAE and prosecuted in Dublin on Sunday evening, accused of running a criminal organization. Kinahan, a senior boxing promoter who lived in Dubai for the last decade, was arrested there in April and flown on an Irish government plane to a military base near Dublin, from where he was transferred under heavy security directly to court.

During the unusual night session at the Special Criminal Court for serious crimes and terrorism, Kinahan appeared wearing a black hoodie, black pants, and flip-flops. When the judge explained to him that a bail request could only be discussed in the Supreme Court, Kinahan replied:

"I think we both know I won't get bail, but thank you very much for the explanation."

Kinahan even apologized for appearing without legal representation, noting that he had been in isolation in Dubai since Friday and did not have time to coordinate it with a lawyer.

Kinahan was arrested in Dubai last April after years of living there openly. In a joint statement by the Ministers of Justice of Ireland and the UAE, he was defined as one of the most senior wanted persons in the world in the field of transnational organized crime. His arrest and the extension of his detention until the end of the proceedings are accompanied by heavy police security, and he is expected to appear in court again on October 5.

In 2022, law enforcement authorities in the United States defined the Kinahan family's criminal organization as a serious international criminal organization and compared it to the most dangerous crime networks in the world. The US government even offered a financial reward of 5 million dollars for information that would lead to the arrest of Kinahan and two other leaders in the organization.

According to the Irish police, the organization began its path in the 90s as a local gang for heroin and cocaine trafficking in the alleys of Dublin, and over the years became a brutal crime cartel turning over billions of euros and operating throughout Europe. In recent years, Kinahan tried to clear his name and build an image of a legitimate businessman in the world of sports, among other things as an organizer of high-profile boxing matches in Dubai, while his lawyers previously denied all accusations against him.