US offers reward of $5m for information on Kinahan gang
Picture: The Garda Seizures Assistant Group Pa A Oranised Niall Carson/ Garda Relating Kinahan O'driscoll Crime To Shows Slide From Missioner John
The United States is offering $5m for information leading to the disruption of the Kinahan criminal organisation and the arrests or convictions of Kinahan family members.
The move was announced by US ambassador to Ireland Claire Cronin at a press briefing this afternoon.
Earlier, it was announced that the US Treasury Department had imposed a raft of unprecedented sanctions on the Kinahan crime gang.
Among those named by the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) are Christy Kinahan Snr, Daniel Kinahan, and Christy Kinahan Snr.
Speaking at joint the briefing of Irish, British and US law enforcement and financial intelligence officials, Garda Comissioner Drew Harris said the "landmark" US sanctions would deal a "a heavy, if not crippling blow" to the Kinahan gang.
As a result of the action, all property and interests in property of the named gang members and their businesses that are in the US or in the possession or control of US people will be blocked and reported to OFAC.
Reward of up to ,000,000.00 USD for information leading to the Financial Disruption of the Kinahan Criminal Organisation or the arrest and/or conviction of:
— Garda Info (@gardainfo) April 12, 2022
Daniel Kinahan
Christy Kinahan Sr
Christy Kinahan Jr
Submit Tips via email to KinahanTCOTips@dea.gov pic.twitter.com/PEafbJkJ8a
Addressing the Kinahan gang directly, Commissioner Harris said: "You can run, but can't hide from justice forever."
He said the US sanctions were just "the first phase" of a wider initiative targeting the gang and its associated businesses.
He also said the gang had done major damage in Ireland and internationally "leaving addiction and violence" in their wake.
The sanctions, announced last night by the Office of Foreign Assets Control, the financial intelligence arm of the US treasury, is believed to be the result of years of of close collaboration and intelligence gathering between it, the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the US Department of State, US Customs and Border Protection, An Garda Síochána, the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency (NCA), and the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation.
US treasury chief Troy Miller says when countries partner they enhance knowledge of crime gangs and that today's announcement was three years' of work
Troy A Miller, Deputy Commissioner for US Customs and Border Protection, said OFAC's designations were the culmination of three years of work.
"When countries partner they enhance knowledge of these crime gangs," he said.
Jari Liukku, Head of Europol's European Serious Organised Crime Centre said organised crime was increasing and becoming more international, but police cooperation was also increasing.
He also confirmed that a European arrest warrant has been issued for Kinahan gang lieutenant Sean McGovern, currently believed to be in Dubai.
US Foreign Assets chief Gregory Gatjanis says its powers are reserved for those posing extraordinary threat to US and its partners pic.twitter.com/mgPuKw3Vtx
— Cormac O'Keeffe (@CormacJOKeeffe) April 12, 2022
Wendy C Woolcock, Special Agent in Charge of the Special Operations Division of the US Drug Enforcement Administration DEA said her organisation is "committed to tackling the Kinahan organised crime gang."
She said the gang has used "influence, intimidation and money" to ply their trade.
Assistant Garda Commissioner John O'Driscoll said the Kinahan gang was now worth more than one billion euro through its criminal enterprise.
He said the Regency Hotel shooting in 2016 represented "defining time" for gardaí because it had demonstrated that the gang's commitment to "a campaign of murder."
“The Kinahan organisation got its start right here on the streets of Dublin," said Gregory Gatjanis from the US Treasury.
"Now based in the UAE, the organisation continues to operate in Ireland, the UK and the US.
Mr Gatjanis added that, as of today "the Kinahans joins the ranks of the Gomorrah, the Yakuza and the Russian mafia."
The Taoiseach has welcomed US sanctions on the Kinahan crime cartel and said that Ireland should look at introducing a reward for information leading to the capture of its members.
"I think it's very, very significant," he told reporters in Dublin.
"And I welcome this. I do believe that we have to work internationally and collaborate with other authorities in respect of these issues."
Asked about the US offer of $5 million for information which leads to the capture of senior members of the crime group, Mr Martin said he was minded to do the same.
"We want to do everything we possibly can to deal generally with criminality in our country. And increasingly, we know that it's true international collaboration (works), with states working together because crime crosses borders now.
Micheál Martin said he would discuss the matter with his government colleagues and "keep an issue like that under review."
"We do have the Criminal Assets Bureau, which was an initiative we took many, many years ago, following the murder of Veronica Guerin, and that has been impactful in relation to the issue."
The Taoiseach said, however, that he did not discuss the issue with US President Joe Biden in March.
Speaking the wake of the sanctions announcement, the Tánaiste said he hoped the $5m reward for information on the Kinahan crime cartel is “evidence of the net getting tighter”.
"I think it's good news,” Leo Varadkar said.
"My understanding is that it only arose or it's only really happening largely because of workload by the gardaí and cooperation between the gardaí and the US authorities."
"And hopefully we'll see produced results because that particular organisation has escaped justice for far too long and perhaps this is evidence of the net getting tighter.”
Leo Varadkar added that offering rewards for information on dangerous criminals is something worth considering in Ireland, despite no modern precedent for such a programme in the state.
“It's not something that we've done in the past that I'm aware it is done in the US and other jurisdictions.
“If you think of the cost to the nation of what criminal enterprises do, giving people a reward for information probably makes makes sense.
“But I have to be honest with you, it's not something I've given deep thought or consideration to but I imagine it’s something that Minister McEntee will want to consider.”