Taoiseach welcomes move by United Arab Emirates to freeze assets of Kinahan gang

Taoiseach Micheal Martin has welcomed the decision of the United Arab Emirates to freeze the assets of the Kinahan drug trafficking gang.

“I think it’s very welcome news...Ultimately, crime does not pay and I think what this illustrates is the power of countries working together on the international level,” Mr Martin said.

“I am confident about the capacity of like-minded countries to work together to put pressure on such criminal gangs and to reduce very significantly to activities under the influence.”

The move by the UAE has added to international pressure on the cartel that has deep ties with boxers and promoters at the highest levels of the sport.

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The Gulf state said it was continuing to investigate the organised crime group in parallel with authorities in the US, UK, Ireland and Spain.

“The relevant authorities co-operate closely on cases involving foreign elements, in line with the UAE’s international commitments and national legal framework for combating illicit activity,” the government said. The asset freeze includes all personal and corporate bank accounts, one person briefed on the matter in the UAE said.

While the Garda and Irish Government have tried for years to persuade the UAE to target the cartel, one of Europe's most notorious crime syndicates, those efforts came to little. However, only a week after the United States added the Kinahans, their associates and companies to a financial sanctions list, it appears the UAE has immediately taken action.

In reply to queries, Minister for Justice Helen McEntee welcomed news the assets had been frozen in UAE, a federation of seven emirates. She noted the speed at which it had happened after the events of last week.

“This shows the swift impact of the sanctions announced last week to dismantle the Kinahan organised crime group,” she said.

“An Garda Síochána’s tireless work in building a international law enforcement coalition to dismantle the gang has sent a clear signal that nobody is out of reach of the law. The net is now clearly tightening on the Kinahan organised crime group.”

The US Treasury last week imposed sanctions on the Kinahan group and seven of its members including its leaders, Christopher Kinahan and his two sons, Daniel and Christopher Jr, who are based in Dubai.

The US also put a $5mn price on the heads of Kinahan Sr - better known as Christy or "the Dapper Don" and his sons. The US accused the Kinahans of smuggling narcotics into Europe and engaging in money laundering, frequently using Dubai as "a facilitation hub for its illicit activities".

The US imposed sanctions on three companies linked to the clan, including a management consultancy controlled by Daniel Kinahan and a sports management company owned by one of his associates. Two of the companies - Hoopoe Sports and Ducashew General Trading - are based in Dubai. The US also indicated that Daniel Kinahan resides on Dubai's Palm Jumeirah.

The sanctions on Daniel Kinahan, who has denied being a crime boss, have rocked the sport of boxing, where he has been credited with advising fighters and setting up bouts.

Tyson Fury, the world heavyweight champion, said this week that the sanctions were "none of my business". Daniel Kinahan has advised Fury in the past but the boxer said he had not done any business dealings with him "for a long time". In 2020, Fury thanked Kinahan for setting up a contest against rival Anthony Joshua. The matches never took place. Fury and Kinahan were photographed together in Dubai in February.

MTK Global, a boxing agency co-founded by Daniel Kinahan in 2012, said on Wednesday that it was shutting down following the imposition of US sanctions on the Kinahans. The company, which has not itself been sanctioned, parted ways with Kinahan in 2017. It said it had faced “unprecedented levels of unfair scrutiny”.

The cartel, which emerged in the late 1990s, operates across Ireland, the UK, Spain and the UAE. Irish courts have branded it as “a murderous organisation” involved in the international trafficking of drugs and firearms, the US said.

The UAE has come under increasing scrutiny from western partners over its record in fighting money laundering. The Financial Action Task Force, a global financial crime watchdog, last month placed the UAE on its “grey list”, stepping up its monitoring of the Gulf state’s efforts to stem flows of dirty money.

Dubai, a playground for the rich, has also attracted organised criminal gangs from the UK, as well as India and former Soviet states.

A combination of weak enforcement and investment opportunities for foreigners in sectors such as real estate and precious metals has created the perfect haven for criminals, according to a report by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. The asset freeze targeting the Kinahans forms part of a drive to clean up the UAE’s reputation and enhance co-operation with international law enforcement.

–Additional reporting The Financial Times Limited 2022