DANIEL IS TRAVELLING… | 

Daniel Kinahan flees to Iran from Dubai as he desperately tries to avoid extradition

Cartel boss desperately trying to avoid extradition

Today at 07:15

Cartel boss Daniel Kinahan is believed to have fled Dubai and relocated to Iran as he desperately tries to avoid extradition to face justice, the SundayWorld can reveal.

As Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch enjoyed his first few days of freedom in Dublin this week, it is understood that senior members of the Kinahan cartel – including its leader – have fled Dubai for a “safe haven” within Iran.

The 45-year-old mob boss is under mounting pressure from law enforcement agencies across the globe and is understood to have become “fearful” in recent months that authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) would “hand him over” to the US police or An Garda Síochána.

This is despite Kinahan allegedly handing over “huge sums” to corrupt officials within Dubai to ensure his family’s protection and freedom over the past couple of years.

Senior members of the cartel are concerned that living in the UAE is “no longer safe” as gardaí and the US authorities pressure the government there to expel Kinahan and his associates.

A source said: “Daniel and his immediate family do not want to run this risk and are believed to be gone, for now at least.

“There have been recent cases involving the authorities in the UAE agreeing to hand over criminals to other jurisdictions that seek them, such as the Americans. The Kinahans fear they could well be used as a bargaining chip.

“Their reality is Dubai is no longer considered to provide them with the protection it once did.”

It is understood the Kinahan cartel has links to terrorist groups in Iran as well as funding.

“It is the perfect safe haven for them because they can be afforded protection due to forged criminal links,” the source added.

The movements of the cartel leadership are believed to be “fluid” with the organised crime group also exploring the possibility of places further into the Middle East.

Alongside his father Christy Kinahan Sr (65) and younger brother Christopher Jr (41), Daniel Kinahan has a $5m (€4.6m) bounty of on his head from the US government.

Iran has been identified as the cartel’s suspected current location for a number of reasons.

It is a country that has no extradition treaty with the US, which is seeking to arrest Daniel Kinahan and members of his family. It has had no formal diplomatic relations with the US since 1980.

The war-torn country of Yemen has also been identified as a possible location for the organised crime group left reeling in the past year after the international sanctions were announced against them.

Despite the turmoil and sustained pressure on the Kinahan cartel, gardaí believe the international crime gang still “has the clout” to try to murder The Monk, his brother Patsy and any senior member of the Hutch gang,

The garda operation to contain the Kinahan/Hutch feud since the Regency gun attack in 2016 is believed to have cost tens of millions of euro.

And although organising a gangland murder hit against the Hutch mob in the current climate is “not necessarily feasible” – given the sustained garda presence around Dublin in the aftermath of Gerry Hutch’s release – sources said it does not mean that “plans are not under way to commit further murders and reignite the feud. But the reality is that these proposed plans might take some time to come to fruition”.

“The threat against Gerry Hutch from the Kinahan cartel remains. And it remains at the highest of levels.

“Even if the Kinahans are under pressure, which they are, this does not mean they cannot simultaneously be trying to orchestrate murders against the Hutch gang,” the source added.

Gardaí this week have put in place a policing plan near Gerry Hutch’s location and have continued to provide discreet and sustained around-the-clock presence to protect his family and associates.

Much of this policing operation on Dublin’s northside is being carried out by the garda national surveillance unit and last night Hutch remained in the capital.

Justice Minister Simon Harris vowed yesterday that gardaí would follow organised crime organisations to the ends of the Earth.

“I want to send out a very strong message today. Justice always prevails. You can run. You can try to hide. But An Garda Síochána will never stop pursuing and dismantling the criminal gangs causing fear, violence and murder across this country,” he said.

“That pursuit does not stop at any border. An Garda Síochána have built law enforcement coalitions around the world.

These gangs have been left under no illusions that wherever they try to go – we will follow.”

Despite repeated requests through an intermediary, Daniel Kinahan has refused to do an interview or provide a statement to the Irish Independent in the aftermath of The Monk’s conviction at the Special Criminal Court this week.