Irish government jet carrying Daniel Kinahan lands in Dublin after Dubai extradition amid unprecedented security operation to bring 'boss of £1bn crime cartel' to trial

The Irish government jet carrying alleged crime boss Daniel Kinahan has landed in Dublin after he was extradited from Dubai. Kinahan, 49, arrived at Casement Aerodrome at Baldonnel, on the outskirts of Dublin, on Sunday evening after more than a decade away from Ireland.The alleged leader of the Kinahan organised crime group, who is estimated to have assets worth more than $1billion, was flown home under armed guard after losing his final legal battle against extradition from the United Arab Emirates.He is expected to be brought before the Special Criminal Court in Dublin, where he will face a single charge of directing the activities of an organised crime gang alleged to be responsible for multiple murders.The three-judge court, which sits without a jury, has yet to set a date for his trial and significant legal arguments are expected before proceedings can begin.Irish authorities allege that the organisation has operated on a vast international scale, with links stretching across Europe, the Middle East and South America.The cartel has been accused of involvement in drug trafficking, money laundering and a series of murders linked to the bloody feud between the Kinahan and Hutch gangs.Kinahan was arrested in Dubai in April after an Irish extradition request. His detention came as investigators examined alleged links between the cartel and oil shipments involving Iranian crude being transported to China.The return marks the end of a decade-long international manhunt for the Dublin-born father-of-five, who has lived openly in Dubai since fleeing Ireland during the height of the Kinahan-Hutch gangland feud.The Irish government jet carrying alleged crime boss Daniel Kinahan has landed in Dublin Kinahan, 49, arrived at Casement Aerodrome at Baldonnel, on the outskirts of Dublin, on Sunday evening after more than a decade away from Ireland His arrival in Ireland has been accompanied by an unprecedented security operation involving armed Garda units, military personnel and heavily protected vehicles.Authorities have been acutely conscious of the threat posed by bringing one of Europe's most notorious alleged organised crime figures back onto Irish soil.Security sources have warned that Kinahan could face threats from a number of quarters, including rival criminal gangs and hostile elements within the underworld.The Kinahan organisation has been linked to a bloody feud with the rival Hutch gang which erupted after the 2016 Regency Hotel shooting. The conflict resulted in multiple murders and attempted murders in Ireland and abroad. Kinahan himself narrowly escaped the Regency attack, in which David Byrne was shot dead by gunmen dressed as members of An Garda Síochána.Now, more than ten years later, Kinahan has been returned to the country where the feud began.He is expected to be taken directly from Baldonnel to the Special Criminal Court, a non-jury court established to deal with serious organised crime and terrorism cases.After his appearance, Kinahan is expected to be transferred to Portlaoise Prison in the Irish Midlands, where he will be held in the maximum-security A Block.The wing has been described as a 'prison within a prison' and is used for some of the State's highest-risk prisoners. Irish prison authorities have been preparing for his possible arrival for months, with Kinahan expected to be housed in the A5 unit of the high-security wing.The prison has already been home to another senior Kinahan cartel figure, Sean McGovern, who was extradited from Dubai last year and later sentenced to 24 years after pleading guilty to directing a criminal organisation.McGovern's conviction related to the murder of Noel 'Duck Egg' Kirwan in Dublin in 2016 and a plot to murder James 'Mago' Gately.Kinahan's incarceration is expected to involve exceptionally tight restrictions on his movements and communications.He is likely to be segregated from other prisoners and closely monitored because of the risk that his position in the alleged cartel could allow him to exert influence from inside prison.But his knowledge of international criminal and financial networks is also understood to be of considerable interest to American authorities.US authorities offered a $5 million reward for information leading to Kinahan’s capture and may seek to interview him after his Irish trial.Intelligence sources say Kinahan possesses detailed information about the export of Iranian and Russian crude using so-called shadow fleet vessels to China and India, as well as secret financial networks allegedly used by Iran to fund Hezbollah and Hamas.American authorities are pursuing investigations into the cartel over its alleged role in facilitating terrorism through services provided to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which finances Hezbollah.The United States sanctioned Kinahan and other senior members of the organisation in 2022, accusing the group of involvement in international drug trafficking and money laundering.