A $5m (£3.7m) bounty could tempt terrified insiders to turn on suspected crime kingpin Daniel Kinahan, a former US official has claimed. Kinahan, 49, landed back on Irish soil on Sunday after being flown directly from the United Arab Emirates on a government jet.
He had been in a UAE prison since his arrest in April. Under heavy armed escort, the suspected cartel leader was taken straight to Dublin's Special Criminal Court in a high-stakes security operation.
Bounty on Kinahan family
In 2022, American authorities placed a $5m bounty on the heads of Daniel, his father Christopher Sr and brother Christopher Jr, hoping to crush the alleged Kinahan cartel.
Speaking on RTÉ Radio 1's Morning Ireland, Greg Gatjanis, former associate director of the US Office of Foreign Assets Control, said the reward could prove irresistible to panicked insiders.
He said: "It could be people who have inside knowledge of a criminal organisation. It could be associates of the criminal leaders themselves who might want to step forward, who are disgruntled or actually may fear for their lives."
"That kind of money can draw people out of hiding and it could be opportunity for potential retribution against criminal leaders."
Potential information and impact
Gatjanis revealed the cash incentive makes it almost impossible for bosses to trust their inner circle, adding that tip-offs can spark major breakthroughs.
He said: "The kind of information that we see come forward could be anything from evidence of additional crimes that were unknown up to that point, which could include murders, money laundering, drug trafficking, even planned murders."
"I'm not saying that this is what happened with the Kinahans. This is the kind of information that could come forward. Some of the most important information will be bank information, the accounts where money is held."
Gatjanis praised the arrest, claiming it "sends a really powerful message to other criminals who are taking shelter in the UAE". He also paid tribute to the late former assistant garda commissioner John O'Driscoll, who died in 2024.
He said: "I have to say, John O'Driscoll made an impassioned plea. He explained the growth of the organisation, but mostly what had the most lasting impression on me was when he was explaining how the violence of the Kinahan organisation expanded and exploded across Ireland."
Court appearance and charge
Kinahan was escorted across Dublin to the Criminal Courts of Justice by armed police from the emergency response unit, with a police helicopter hovering above. Over 100 onlookers gathered to watch the arrival.
The suspect faces a single charge of directing the activities of a criminal organisation between October 2015 and April 2017. If convicted, he faces up to life behind bars.
When told he couldn't apply for bail, Kinahan said: "I think we know I won't be getting bail, but thank you so much for explaining that." He was remanded in custody until October 5 and taken to Portlaoise Prison.
The alleged crimes occurred during the Hutch-Kinahan gangland war, which claimed 18 lives in three years. Kinahan narrowly avoided death in 2016 when hitmen stormed Dublin's Regency Hotel, leaving his associate David Byrne dead.
