American law enforcement has officially categorised alleged crime boss Daniel Kinahan as “captured” four years after offering a reward of $5 million (€4.3 million) for information leading his arrest and charge.
The widely-shared ‘wanted’-style poster of Kinahan offering the reward has recently been amended on the US state department’s website with the word “captured” added across it.
On Sunday, Kinahan was extradited from the United Arab Emirates – where he had been living for a decade – and was charged with directing an organised crime group in front of the Special Criminal Court.
The multimillion-dollar reward was initially placed on April 12th, 2022, under the US Transnational Organised Crime Rewards Program, for information leading to his arrest or conviction.
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It is understood that the status was amended following his detention and planned handover to the Garda but that the $5 million sum has not been claimed.
There is also a reward for information leading to the disruption of the Kinahan organised crime group’s financial operations.
Separately, there are similar $5 million rewards for his father, Christy Kinahan snr, and brother, Christopher jnr. These rewards are still on offer for courtroom-grade information on the pair, both of whom remain living openly in Dubai.
As Daniel Kinahan is charged with directing organised crime between October 2015 and April 2017, it is unclear if information from an informant about alleged offences outside that time frame, which would include almost all of his time in Dubai and promoting professional boxing, could be furnished to claim the reward related to him.
[ Daniel Kinahan to be segregated in Portlaoise Prison with his own gym and libraryOpens in new window ]
The former associate director of the US department of the treasury’s office of foreign assets control, Greg Gatjanis, was central to the sanctioning of the Kinahan family more than four years ago.
He told RTÉ on Monday that the nature of information given to authorities under the reward scheme often includes evidence of crimes unknown to investigators, key financial information linking figures to bank accounts, or information around planned crimes.
The “staggering amount” of money placed on the arrest of Kinahan was at the “upper level” of rewards available under the US bounty system, he said.
Similar amounts have been placed on information for the arrest of leaders of MS-13, Yakuza members and international arms dealers.
The potential financial windfall, Gatjanis said, makes it difficult for crime bosses to trust those around them and can make people hiding from law enforcement come forward.
He said associates of cartel leaders, disgruntled ex-criminal figures with “inside knowledge”, or those “fearing for their lives” are typically those that come forward with information.
“It could be an opportunity for people to get retribution against criminal leaders,” he said.
The US state department and embassy in Ireland have been contacted for comment.
