An Garda Síochána and Dubai Police have reached an agreement for police officers from the emirate to be deployed to the State to assist the criminal investigation into the Kinahan cartel.
The move comes just weeks after The Irish Times revealed the Garda had completed a lengthy criminal investigation into the cartel leadership, with a file sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) amid increasing optimism criminal charges would be approved.
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris told the reporters on Wednesday that his visit to Dubai last week, during which he met his counterpart in the police force there, was very productive. He said there had been an “exchange of letters” and follow-up contact since.
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While he did not expand on the subject matter of that correspondence with Lt Gen Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri, Commander in Chief of Dubai Police, security sources in Dublin confirmed there was an agreement for police officers to come to Dublin from the country.
Boost co-operation
Though numerous media reports have linked the Kinahans to Iran in recent months, they are still based in Dubai. And the presence in Ireland of Dubai Police officers would boost co-operation in the ongoing investigation into the leaders of the cartel.
More generally, and perhaps most significantly, the agreement between Dublin and Dubai also represents a major breakthrough in relations between the two police forces.
The authorities in Dubai had not previously demonstrated any great willingness to co-operate with the Irish authorities. Furthermore, Dubliner Sean McGovern, a senior Kinahan cartel figure who is wanted to go on trial for alleged murder in Ireland, has not been extradited from Dubai.
However, the agreement is a first sign of substantive co-operation now being forthcoming, which would raise the prospect of future extraditions from Dubai to Ireland.
No extradition
These would have to be agreed on a case-by-case basis as no extradition arrangements are in place between Dubai and Ireland or the European Union.
Garda sources are optimistic that Daniel Kinahan will be charged in the State arising from the file recently sent to the DPP. If charges are directed against him, improved relations between the Irish authorities and their Dubai counterparts could prove vital in securing his extradition. However, one source cautioned that there was “still a long way to go”.
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The improving relations also increase the chances that McGovern, who is wanted to go on trial for his alleged role in the 2016 Kinahan-Hutch feud murder of Noel Kirwan, could be extradited.
Speaking to reporters in Naas on Wednesday at the annual conference of the Association of Garda Superintendents, Mr Harris said the talks in Dubai last week focused on a range of crimes that could be investigated jointly. This included drug trafficking and other forms of transnational organisation crime as well as cybercrime, financial crime and human trafficking.
He said he wanted to now “develop that relationship” and there was also a “focus on the Kinahan organised crime gang”. Mr Harris confirmed the Kinahans were “still based in Dubai” despite reports to the contrary, and it was essential information and intelligence could be shared between Dublin and Dubai to move forward the investigations into the cartel leaders living there.
