THE US government has announced a $5m (£3.8m) reward for information leading to the arrest or conviction of the leaders of the Kinahan crime cartel.
Christopher Vincent Kinahan and his two sons, Daniel Joseph Kinahan and Christopher Kinahan, Jr., have all been Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) list, a list of the US Treasury Department, for "participating in, or conspiring to participate in, transnational organised crime."
"The Kinahan Organized Crime Group (KOCG) smuggles deadly narcotics, including cocaine, to Europe, and is a threat to the entire licit economy through its role in international money laundering," said Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson.
"Criminal groups like the KOCG prey on the most vulnerable in society and bring drug-related crime and violence, including murder, to the countries in which they operate. Treasury is proud to have coordinated so closely with our international counterparts, and the U.S. government will continue to use every available resource to dismantle these criminal networks."
The KOCG emerged in the late 1990s and early 2000s as the most powerful organized crime group operating in Ireland. Since then, Irish courts have concluded that the KOCG is a murderous organization involved in the international trafficking of drugs and firearms. Criminal activities of the KOCG, including international money laundering, generate proceeds in the United Kingdom, which are then pooled together and passed to local criminals before being handed to Irish organized crime group members and laundered out of the United Kingdom.
It also frequently uses Dubai as a facilitation hub for its illicit activities. Since February 2016, the KOCG has been involved in a gang war with another group in Ireland and Spain, resulting in numerous murders, including of two innocent bystanders.
"Today is a landmark day in the fight against organised crime and in particular the Kinahan organised crime gang" - Garda Commissioner Drew Harris.
An Garda Síochána & international law enforcement partners are today launching an initiative tackling the apex of the Kinahan gang. pic.twitter.com/3zb72XMHOv— Garda Info (@gardainfo) April 12, 2022
Each member of the KOCG reports to Daniel Kinahan, who is believed to run the day-to-day operations of the organization. Daniel Kinahan has instructed KOCG members to send money to a variety of individuals serving prison sentences, including a person convicted of attempted murder on behalf of the KOCG, and an individual imprisoned for murder on behalf of the KOCG. He also sources large quantities of cocaine from South America, plays an integral part in organising the supply of drugs in Ireland, and is attempting to facilitate the importation of cocaine into the United Kingdom. Daniel Kinahan is known to have used false identity documents.
Other associates include Sean Gerard McGovern, Ian Thomas Dixon, Bernard Patrick Clancy, John Francis Morrissey, Nero Drinks Company Limited, Hoopoe Sports LLC and Ducashew General Trading LLC.
Today’s reward offer announcement complements the Department of Treasury’s announcement of sanctions against the Kinahans pursuant to Executive Order 14059, Imposing Sanctions on Foreign Persons Involved in the Global Illicit Drug Trade.
The reward is offered jointly with the An Garda Síochana (AGS) in Ireland and the National Crime Agency (NCA) in the United Kingdom. Together with the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), these agencies will work to combat drug trafficking and transnational crime by the Kinahan Transnational Criminal Organization wherever it exists.
