Gardaí meet police in Dubai to discuss extradition of Kinahan cartel leader Sean McGovern

A high-level Garda delegation visited police in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to discuss details of the extradition of Kinahan-Hutch feud murder suspect, and Kinahan cartel senior figure, Sean McGovern.

The Dubliner’s arrest in Dubai, and the charges he faces in the Republic, predate the signing of an extradition agreement the week before last between Ireland and the UAE. That means McGovern’s extradition cannot take place under the new agreement, which is not retrospective, and must be treated as a special one-off process.

Because of that, the Garda, Government and DPP are now all very keen to ensure the Irish request to extradite McGovern meets all of the legal criteria that must be satisfied before the UAE agrees to send the murder-accused back to the Republic for trial.

The Garda delegation that went to the UAE last week was led by Det Chief Supt Seamus Boland, the head of the Garda National Drugs & Organised Crime Bureau. It also involved senior officers from the Garda’s Organised & Serious Crime branch, as well as members of the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Garda’s serious crimes squad.

After the delegation returned to Dublin on Friday, Garda headquarters issued a statement saying the officers had gone to meet senior members of Dubai police “to discuss ongoing police cooperation” with a view to the “relentless pursuit of organised crime groups both in Ireland and abroad”.

The Irish Times understands the main item on the agenda was putting in place plans to extradite McGovern, who has been living openly in Dubai despite being among seven men at the apex of the Kinahan cartel sanctioned by the US authorities 2½ years ago.

The meeting in Dubai was also attended by a senior official from Interpol’s headquarters in Lyon, France, and the Garda liaison officer based permanently in the UAE.

“The recent signing between Ireland and the UAE of extradition and mutual legal assistance treaties is a very welcome development,” said Garda Commissioner Drew Harris in a statement on Saturday. “(It) demonstrates the ongoing commitment by international law enforcement and governments to tackle transnational organised crime.

“In particular, this is another example of the significant policing, political and diplomatic efforts being made to pursue transnational organised crime groups and other specific individuals to bring them to justice.”

McGovern (38) was arrested at his Dubai home on October 10th, some 2½ years after it emerged his extradition was being sought by the Irish authorities to face serious charges approved by the DPP.

McGovern was injured in the Regency Hotel shooting in 2016 and is now wanted in the Republic to face charges over the December 2016 murder of Noel Kirwan (62) in Dublin and for directing organised crime. Mr Kirwan was an innocent man who was gunned down as part of the Kinahan-Hutch feud because he was linked to the Hutch family, some of whom were friends of his.

McGovern had been living openly in Dubai in recent years, apparently in the belief he would not be arrested. However, he is now the first Kinahan cartel figure to be detained in the UAE and remains in custody there.

McGovern, whose home in Crumlin, Dublin, was seized by the Criminal Assets Bureau, was in 2022 described by the US Department of the Treasury as “Daniel Kinahan’s adviser and closest confidant”. It added: “evidence indicates that all dealings with Daniel Kinahan go through Sean McGovern.”