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Episode 107: How Spanish cops failed to take down the Kinahan's reign in Spain

Twelve years on from Spanish arrest, the Kinahans are ten times bigger than they ever were.

Nicola Tallant

In 2010, Spanish police announced that they had dismantled the Irish Mafia by shutting down the Kinahan Organised Crime Group.

Headed by Christopher Kinahan Snr and managed by his sons Daniel and Christopher Jnr the so-called ‘Cartel’ was estimated to be worth €100 million when it was hit with the killer blow by cops who had spent two years wire-tapping the gang and keeping them under close surveillance.

But the scenario sounds all too familiar now and 12 years on the Kinahans are not only still in business, but ten times bigger than they ever were. So what went wrong?

Today I’m joined by journalist and author Stephen Breen whose book, 'The Cartel', details the surveillance and wire-tap probe by the Spanish which failed to take the head from the snake.

Crime Word Podcast can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts and Soundcloud.


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