Kinahan cartel’s Dubai properties: Empire worth millions of euro is secretly sold off

Members of the Kinahan family have been disposing of millions of euro worth of property in Dubai as they come under increasing pressure from international sanctions, an Irish Times investigation has found.

Christopher Kinahan and his sons Daniel and Christopher jnr, who form the leadership of the international drugs gang, relocated most of their operations to the United Arab Emirates city in the mid-2010s as the Hutch-Kinahan feud became increasingly violent.

[ How the Kinahan crime gang secretly sold off Dubai properties since being hit by US sanctions ]

An analysis of leaked property records shows family members acquired at least six properties over the following years, most of which were purchased in the name of Daniel Kinahan’s wife, Caoimhe Robinson.

These include three large villas, two luxury apartments and an office in central Dubai which served as the base for Daniel Kinahan’s business ventures.

The leaked data provides a detailed overview of hundreds of thousands of properties in Dubai and information about their ownership or usage, largely from 2020-2022.

Following the announcement of sanctions targeting the gang by the US government in 2022, large parts of this property empire have been sold off, netting the family significant profits, according to leaked records.

The investigation, known as Dubai Unlocked, was carried out by a consortium of 74 media partners around the world, including The Irish Times, and co-ordinated by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and the Norwegian financial outlet E24.

The sanctions announced by the US treasury in April 2022 target the senior leadership of the Kinahan gang and anyone conducting business with them. They do not include Robinson, who is not accused of any criminality.

In addition, US authorities have offered a reward of $15 million (€13.9 million) for information leading to the conviction of the three senior leaders. Irish officials are also attempting to secure the extradition of Daniel Kinahan back to Ireland to face serious charges relating to the Hutch-Kinahan feud in which 18 people were murdered.

[ Christy Kinahan: A timeline of the international drug trafficker and gang leader’s life ]

Various businesses established by the gang’s leadership in Dubai have now been closed. In some cases, their business licence was allowed to expire, company records show. In others, the licences were terminated by the Dubai authorities.

Among the properties acquired and later disposed of by the family are a large villa in the exclusive Emirates Hills development, which is home to celebrities, oil billionaires and the families of well-connected politicians.

In 2022, Robinson took control of a 2,238 sq m villa in the development. It was purchased in 2022 for €6.05 million – €2 million more than the asking price two years previously. The following year, it sold for €11.7 million, almost double the purchase price.

In 2022, just three months after the sanctions were announced, a six-bed villa purchased in Robinson’s name in Parkway Vistas was sold for €5.2 million, generating a profit of almost €1 million.

A four-bedroom luxury apartment in the Elite Residences skyscraper – acquired by Robinson in 2017 – sold for €1.02 million, representing a €126,412 profit on the purchase price.

One of the few properties still officially registered to the Kinahans is an office on the upper floors of the X3 tower in central Dubai that served as the base for several of Daniel Kinahan’s public businesses. Records show Kinahan bought the property in 2017 for €191,500.

The office now lies vacant. Late last year, Daniel Kinahan attempted to sell it but was blocked by the authorities as the property is subject to legal proceedings. In addition, Kinahan owes €15,622 in service fees, a sum which will have to be cleared before any sale can take place.

The Kinahans have not given up on the property market entirely. Last year, an unfinished, 1,910 sq m villa was purchased in Robinson’s name in the Wadi al Safa 5 Dubai neighbourhood.

Legal records show this was the subject of a legal dispute earlier this year relating to the ownership of the villa. The court ruled Robinson was the rightful owner and that she should receive €50,500 in damages.

Additional reporting: Karrie Kehoe