A new BBC series, Kinahan: The True Story of Ireland’s Mafia, traces the rise and fall of the Kinahan Transnational Criminal Organisation, once one of the world’s most feared drug cartels. The four-part documentary, now streaming on BBC iPlayer, uses exclusive interviews and archive footage to detail the cartel’s journey from Dublin street dealers to a billion-dollar global enterprise.
The series opens with the 2016 murder of cartel member David Byrne at Dublin’s Regency Hotel, sparking a bloody feud with the rival Hutch gang that left 18 dead. It follows Christy Kinahan Sr., who built the cartel from heroin trafficking in the 1980s to cocaine distribution across Europe, and his sons Daniel and Christy Jr., who expanded into money laundering and professional boxing.
In April 2022, US, UK, Irish and Europol authorities launched a joint crackdown, offering a $5 million bounty for senior members. To date, neither Daniel nor Christy Jr. have been convicted. The series also highlights the cartel’s UK arm, led by Thomas ‘Bomber’ Kavanagh, and undercover operations by the National Crime Agency and Garda.
