Ireland’s bid to secure the return of Daniel Kinahan may be the first real test of the effectiveness of the State’s new extradition treaty with the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Kinahan, who has been at the centre of a long-running Garda investigation into the Kinahan crime cartel, is facing charges connected to alleged serious organised crime offences related to a feud with the rival Hutch gang.
He fled to Spain and later Dubai after the 2016 Regency Hotel attack in Dublin.
Carried out during a boxing weigh-in attended by Daniel Kinahan, the attack, during which David Byrne, a Kinahan gang member was shot dead, was part of the deadly feud which has cost 18 lives.
READ MORE
Eight years later, in October 2024, Ireland and the UAE agreed a bilateral extradition treaty that was negotiated by then minister for justice Helen McEntee. The treaty was approved by Dáil Éireann in November 2024 and followed reciprocal agreements dating from 2022.
In March 2025, the UAE notified the State its requirements for the entry into force of the treaty had been fulfilled. The following month, Ireland issued a similar notification to the UAE.
In October 2024, Sean McGovern, previously described in the Special Criminal Court as a senior figure in the Kinahan gang, was arrested in Dubai. McGovern’s arrest came some seven months before the treaty – the Extradition (United Arab Emirates) Order – became operational on May 18th, 2025.
Also in May 2025, McGovern (39) with a previous address at Kildare Road, Crumlin, became the first person extradited from the UAE to Ireland. His extradition was effected under a once-off arrangement between Ireland and the UAE.
In a joint statement issued after McGovern’s extradition, Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan and his UAE counterpart, His Excellency Abdullah bin Sultan Al Nuaimi, said the extradition underscored a “firm and ongoing joint commitment to upholding the rule of law and fostering international co-operation”.
Although McGovern’s lawyers initially raised issues about the legality of his extradition, he later pleaded guilty to two charges, directing a criminal gang in relation to the murder of one man and the surveillance of another. He is due to be sentenced by the Special Criminal Court next week.
Daniel Kinahan was arrested in Dubai on April 15th last, within two days of the issuing of an Irish High Court warrant for his extradition.
Legal sources suggest the earlier extradition of McGovern may be perceived as a “trial run” for the new arrangements between Ireland and the UAE.
It remains to be seen whether Daniel Kinahan will seek to fully test the treaty in the Dubai courts. If he opts to do so, that could potentially delay his extradition for several months. If he consents to extradition, that could happen sooner but legal sources believe it would still take several weeks.
While people detained in the UAE on foot of extradition requests may apply for bail, the relevant law provides for refusal of bail where the court is satisfied the respondent presents a flight risk.
The treaty provides, if extradition is granted, the requested party shall inform the requesting party “as soon as possible” and the parties shall agree “promptly” on the time, place and any other relevant matter. The time limit for surrender is 30 days from the date the requesting party is informed the extradition has been granted.
[ Cartel leader Daniel Kinahan arrested in Dubai following covert police operationOpens in new window ]
Tony Collier, a solicitor partner in Ferrys Solicitors LLP, who has experience of many extradition cases, said the key difference between the Ireland-UAE treaty and other extradition treaties is that it operates as “a slower process with less judicial oversight”.
In contrast, the European Arrest Warrant process for extradition between Ireland and EU member states allows for “faster court-driven surrender within strict timelines”, he said.
Legal sources regarded an application for Kinahan’s extradition as inevitable following the agreement between Ireland and the UAE. Some suggested the level of co-operation demonstrated between Ireland and the UAE in relation to the extradition of McGovern is unlikely to encourage Kinahan to be optimistic about his prospects of resisting his surrender.
Kinahan may even be “somewhat relieved” that the extradition application emanated from Ireland, rather than the US, one source said.
In 2022, the US department of state, through the Transnational Organised Crime Rewards Program, offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Daniel Kinahan for allegedly participating in transnational organised crime, namely narcotics trafficking and money laundering.
A reward was also offered for information leading to the disruption of financial mechanisms of a transnational organised crime group, the Kinahan Transnational Criminal Organisation.
