Now, the US government is offering $ 5 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Daniel Kinahan and other Kinahan cartel leaders.
The dramatic intervention is seen as a major blow to the widespread criminal gang, whose drug and firearms trade has grown from the streets of Dublin to countries around the world.
Here, Sky News examines what we know about Kinahan, the alleged crime boss who is said to have brought “an element of terror” to the boxing world.
Image: Tyson Fury praises Daniel Kinahan for securing a deal with Anthony Joshua. Photo: Tyson Fury
Early life
Born in 1977 in Dublin, Kinahan is the eldest son of Christy Kinahan, a convicted drug dealer widely referred to as the founder of his family’s criminal enterprise.
Kinahan claimed that he grew up in a degraded area, with severe levels of poverty and crime, which sparked his interest in boxing.
“People like me, beyond that, are not expected to do anything in their lives other than serve the middle and upper classes,” he said.
“Boxing is a working class sport for which I had a lifelong love and passion.”
Kinahan – who has no criminal record – was reportedly arrested in connection with an attack on two police officers outside Dublin’s Shelbourne Park Greyhound Stadium in May 2001.
He was charged with assault and initially denied bail, but the charges were dropped the following January, according to the Irish Independent.
Disclosure and arrest of WikiLeaks in Spain
In 2009, Kinahan referred to a diplomatic telegram sent from a US embassy in South America describing him as a suspected international drug trafficker.
The report was revealed in a WikiLeaks post with US confidential documents.
Kinahan was arrested in Spain in 2010, along with Christy’s father and brother Christopher Jnr, but the long-running money laundering case was dropped in 2020.
Image: Kinahan is pictured after his arrest in 2010. Photo: Solarpix
In 2016, it was reported that Kinahan ran a range of harmless companies ranging from interior design companies to cleaning companies during his time in Ireland – for none of which he ever held accounts.
The company’s records showed that Kinahan said it was “wallpaper”, the Irish Independent reported.
Attempted assassination of Kinahan in the midst of a gang
Kinahan fled Ireland after an assassination attempt on him at a boxing match at the Regency Hotel in Dublin in 2016.
Gunmen from the rival Hutch gang disguised as armed policemen tried to assassinate him, killing his associate David Byrne instead.
Describing the incident, Kinahan said one of the perpetrators was “maybe six meters away from me” when he saw a gun and heard “boom boom shots being fired”.
At least 18 people have been killed in clashes between the two gangs.
Image: Garda Assistant Commissioner John O’Driscoll speaks to Kinahans
Kinahan, Christy’s father and Christopher Jnr’s brother are now in the UAE.
In May 2017, Kinahan reportedly got married at the seven-star Burj al Arab Hotel in Dubai.
Among the guests were Chilean pharmacist Ricard “El Rico” Vega, Dutch-Moroccan mobster Riduan Tagi and Italian mobster Raffaele Imperialem, according to Dublin Live.
Tyson Fury’s praise for Kinahan
Kinahan co-founded boxing management company MTK Global, which represents more than 300 fighters, including Tyson Fury, Carl Frampton and Billy Joe Saunders.
In June 2020, Fury publicly thanked Kinahan for securing a two-fight deal with British heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua in one of the most anticipated title fights in the sport’s history.
“I just got a call from Daniel Kinahan,” Fury said.
“He just informed me that the biggest fight in the history of British boxing has just been agreed.
“Big shout out to Dan. He did it, literally across the line. A two-game deal.”
He continued: “A big thank you to Dan for making this deal. The best. God bless you all. See you soon.”
There is no indication that Tyson Fury is involved in any wrongdoing.
Following the revelation of Kinahan’s involvement, the then Prime Minister of Ireland Leo Varadkar said that it would be “absolutely appropriate” for broadcasters not to broadcast the scheduled matches.
Image: Tyson Fury celebrates after winning a world title match against Deontay Wilder last October
Following the outcry, KHK, a sports media company founded by the son of the King of Bahrain, said it had fired Kinahan as a consultant.
And just two weeks after his video praising Kinahan, Fury’s American supporter, Bob Arum, claimed that the boxer had ended his professional relationship with the Irishman.
However, Arum added that Fury “loves, admires and respects” Kinahan.
The agreement between Fury and Joshua was later canceled, as a decision meant that Fury had to face American boxer Deontay Wilder.
The “dangerous” Kinahan brings “terror” to boxing
Former Irish boxing world champion Barry McGuigan has spoken publicly about his serious concerns about Kinahan’s role in the sport.
McGuigan described Kinahan as a “dangerous man” whose role in boxing had brought an “element of horror” to the sport.
Image: Barry McGuigan calls Kinahan “dangerous”
He told a BBC Panorama documentary last year: “There is no doubt that there is a bullying phenomenon, there is no doubt about it.
“If we believe what we believe, he is a very dangerous man.
“There is an element of fear and terror around this name.
“One has to watch this sport. One has to really look at this situation very carefully, because it is very dangerous.”
Following the screening of the program, the BBC said that a Panorama team had been threatened by anonymous criminal elements in Northern Ireland in connection with the program.
Image: Kinahan has no criminal convictions. Photo: Solarpix
Kinahan denies links to criminal gangs
Following the Panorama program, Kinahan issued a statement insisting that he had nothing to do with the criminal gang.
He also said he was still holding “record-breaking world title fights” despite claims by broadcasters and boxing supporters that they had nothing to do with him.
“I can not be clearer about the fundamental insult – I am not a member of a criminal gang or conspiracy,” he told TalkSport.
“I have no convictions. None. Not just in Ireland but anywhere in the world.”
Fury pictured with Kinahan in Dubai as boxing leader offers support
In February of this year, Fury was photographed with his hand dressed around a smiling Kinahan in Dubai.
One month later, World Boxing Council President Mauricio Sulaiman offered his support to Kinahan after meeting with the Irishman.
Writing an opinion article for The Herald of Mexico, Sulaiman said Kinahan had faced “prejudice” after being described as “a person linked to criminal groups”.
He added: “I am no one to judge any individual, and that was the policy of our organization, to fight all kinds of discrimination and abuse of power, in front of any person and group.”
Image: US Treasury Department released a graphic of the criminal operation. Photo: US Treasury Department
Kinahan “supplies large quantities of cocaine from South America”
On Tuesday, the US government announced a $ 5 million (3, 3.8 million) reward for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Daniel Kinahan, Christie’s father and Christopher Jr.’s brother.
The US Treasury Department described the Kinahan criminal gang as a “major transnational criminal organization”.
He said: “Every member of the KOCG (Kinahan Organized Crime Team) refers to Daniel Kinahan, who is believed to be in charge of the organization’s day-to-day operations.”
Kinahan has instructed members of the Kinahan criminal gang to send money to people serving prison sentences, including those convicted of murder and attempted murder, according to the US Treasury Department.
Image: Kinahan met Fury in Dubai in February this year
Kinahan “also supplies large quantities of cocaine from South America” and “plays an integral role in the organization of drug supply in Ireland and seeks to facilitate the importation of cocaine into the United Kingdom,” he added.
Some of the biggest boxing personalities – including Fury – have now been urged to sever ties with Kinahan.
Ireland Police Commissioner Drew Harris said: “If you are dealing with these people who have been sanctioned or with those entities that are being sanctioned, you are involved in a criminal network.
“I would ask them to look at their own business, the favor of their own business and the relationship with their fans and, really, this is something they want to do in terms of their legal work. I think the answer to that is a resounding no. “
