It’s the first known time such action has been taken by Emirati authorities.
The Sunday Times reports that, last month, a relative of Daniel Kinahan was refused entry to Dubai after attempting to board a flight there from England.
It was the first known instance of the authorities in the UAE blocking members of the cartel’s network to the country.
The publication, which has quoted a security source, has said that the man had travelled to the UK after visiting family in Ireland, but it’s unclear if his passport was flagged or if his movements were being tracked.
Cartel boss Daniel Kinahan
News in 90 Seconds – Tuesday, November 4
The relative is not believed to have any involvement in crime.
The US Treasury Department imposed sanctions against the Kinahan Organised Crime Group in 2022, offering $15 million for information leading to the arrest of Daniel, his brother Christopher Jr, and his father Christy Kinahan Snr.
They said that Kinahan was operating from Dubai, where he instructed senior gang members to carry out drug smuggling and money laundering.
It’s believed that officials in Dubai now want to be seen as taking action against criminal activity by clamping down on the cartel.
Until now, authorities in the UAE have maintained that they could not act against the group without extradition warrants, despite the sanctions being in place.
US ambassador to Ireland Claire Cronin, speaking at Dublin City Hall. Photo: Niall Carson/PA Images via Getty Images
Irish authorities have not issued any arrest warrants for Daniel, Christopher Jr or Christy Kinahan either.
Earlier this year, Kinahan’s right-hand man, Sean McGovern, was extradited from Dubai to Dublin, where he was charged with the murder of Noel ‘Duck Egg’ Kirwan.
In April 2022, a European Arrest Warrant was issued by the High Court for his arrest on charges of “murder and directing and participating in a Criminal Organisation.”
He was arrested in Dubai in October 2024 on the foot of an Interpol Red Notice.
Sean McGovern was then jailed in Dubai Central Prison, also known as Al Awir, where he remained until his extradition to Ireland in May 2025.
He was charged before the Special Criminal Court and remanded in custody.
The case is reportedly being seen by gardaí as a “test case” for the planned arrest and eventual extradition of Daniel Kinahan on criminal charges.
Daniel Kinahan has been hiding out in the Middle Eastern state since the aftermath of the Regency hotel shooting in 2016.
The drug kingpin is believed to have been the target of gunmen who stormed a boxing event at the Dublin hotel.
His associate, David Byrne, was shot dead during the ambush, and no one has ever been convicted of his murder.