Kinahan cartel working with Russian 'FBI' to move drugs across Europe, expert reveals

Artem Kruglov, who is the editor of the website, putinism.wordpress.com, has claimed the Irish cartel has worked in a joint "business project" involving Colombian drug traffickers and the GRU.

The GRU is the foreign military intelligence agency of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation - and has been described as Russia's FBI.

According to Kruglov, the Kinahan gang buys massive amounts of drugs from Latin American producers, before shipping them to Europe where it is sold to local criminal groups.

"Currently, GRU as a service earns, among others participating in drug deliveries with the Irish drug cartel Kinahan," Kruglov states.

"The Kinahan cartel was established in the early 2000s and is a joint 'business project' of the Colombians, GRU and Irish. Its founder is Christy Kinahan, a repeatedly convicted Irish criminal aided by his son Dan Kinahan.

"The two have lived in Marbella in the south of Spain for a long time, and have moved their headquarters to Dubai in recent years. Their personal protection comes from GRU special forces veterans.

"According to the Western press, Christy Kinahan even learned Russian to facilitate contacts with the GRU, which, in addition to ensuring the personal safety of the cartel bosses, deals with the supply of weapons for him and aids them in money laundering."

Kruglov refers to the famous seizure of 9.5 tonnes of cocaine by Cape Verdean police on a ship with Russian sailors on January 31, 2019.

The massive shipment belonged to the European drug cartel which was working with Russia's secret services, Artem Kruglov told Radio Freedom.

Daniel Kinahan's mob is believed to have lost millions after two tonnes of cocaine were recovered in the Cape Verde islands.

Following the seizure, former Garda Assistant Commissioner Michael O'Sullivan said he believed the drugs were headed for Ireland and the UK.

He said at the time: "There is no doubt that a proportion of this shipment would have been destined for the Irish market.

"If these drugs are going to Ireland then the only Irish gang capable of facilitating such a huge shipment and having the contacts across Europe to arrange such a shipment are the Kinahan Organised Crime Group.

"But once a shipment of this size has been seized there's no doubt it causes serious disruption to the activities of a group such as the KOCG."