Major Kinahan crime figure among four arrested in Ireland-UK operation
One of the top figures in the Kinahan cartel in Britain and Ireland has been arrested as part of a major British-Irish police operation.
The man is one of four Irish people arrested in the operation, three of them in Britain and one in Ireland.
Two of the four have been charged in Britain with conspiracy to import drugs and firearms into the country, along with a charge of money laundering.
The Kinahan figure is currently being questioned by the British National Crime Agency, which is leading the two-year long probe.
It is understood he had to be taken to hospital at one stage. It is not thought he will be brought before court in the coming days, but investigators hope to bring charges at a later date.
Meanwhile, the man arrested in Ireland on suspicion of fraudulently supplying genuine passports to the Kinahan cartel has been released without charge. Gardaí said a file will be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions.
In a statement, the NCA said that two Irish nationals, one with an address in Staffordshire and one with an address in Walkinstown, Dublin, had been charged with conspiracy to import drugs and prohibited weapons and with money laundering. They will appear in court again on January 10, 2020.
The statement said a third man, who was also arrested, remained in custody for questioning.
It said: “The investigation is being supported by law enforcement partners in Ireland and internationally.”
NCA branch operations manager Tudor Thomas said: “This investigation has involved close co-operation with our colleagues at An Garda Síochána, and these charges mark an important development in that.
“We are determined to work together to target suspected organised criminality impacting communities on both sides of the Irish sea.”
The NCA statement quoted Assistant Garda Commissioner, John O’Driscoll, who heads Special Crime Operations: “The Garda Síochána has forged a very powerful working relationship with the UK’s National Crime Agency, which is assisting in ensuring that communities in the UK and Ireland are better protected from organised crime”.
In a subsequent statement, gardaí said they had released a man without charge in an investigation linked to the NCA inquiry.
It said the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation was investigating the suspected procurement, by persons associated with particular organised crime groups, of genuine Irish passports through fraudulent means.
It said the man, aged 61, had been arrested on Tuesday in Finglas, Dublin., and that a file will be prepared for the DPP.
The Garda statement said: “This arrest forms part of a wider international investigation involving An Garda Síochána and the UK's National Crime Agency.”
