Taoiseach Micheál Martin welcomes moves by UAE to freeze assets of Kinahan cartel

The Gulf state has launched a financial crackdown on members of the cartel based in Dubai, including Daniel Kinahan, who will now have their bank accounts frozen.

Mr Martin welcomed the news saying that it was part of a wider international effort to clamp down on organised crime and the Kinahan Organised Crime Group.

Speaking during a Shared Island meeting, he said: “This illustrates the power of countries working together at an international level.

“Crime is now international and we have to work with those networks, sharing information to make sure that those who are responsible for crime are held to account.

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said that it was evidence “that nobody is out of reach of the law”.

“The net is now clearly tightening on the Kinahan organised crime group,” she said.

The UAE said it will continue to work with Irish, US, UK and Spanish authorities to investigate the workings of the criminal gang.

In a statement to the Financial Times, the UAE government said that authorities were co-operating closely “on cases involving foreign elements”, as part of the UAE’s comitments “for combating illicit activity”.

Gardaí said they will continue to work with other organisations to bring down the cartel.

A spokesman said: “An Garda Síochána continues to work with our partners at an international level to ensure we achieve the objective of dismantling the Kinahan organised crime group. The announcements made at City Hall last week have generated additional avenues to pursue, and give us confidence we will achieve our objectives.”

Just last week the US Treasury placed Christopher ‘The Dapper Don’ Kinahan and his sons Daniel and Christopher jr and four other people and three companies on a sanctions list cutting them off from most banking services in the west.

It is the latest blow to the gang, especially Daniel Kinahan ending his hopes of creating a new image for himself as a boxing advisor and deal maker

This week the agency he founded, MTK Global, which had dozens of fighters on its books, was suddenly shutdown.

The Gulf state is said to be continuing its own investigation into the organised crime group along with authorities within the US, UK, Ireland and the EU.

“The related authorities co-operate carefully on instances involving overseas components, in keeping with the UAE’s worldwide commitments and nationwide authorized framework for combating illicit exercise,” the federal government said.

The asset freeze contains all private and company financial institution accounts, according to the FT report.

At last week’s press conference in Dublin to announce the sanctions US officials said the Kinahans of were using Dubai as “a facilitation hub for its illicit actions”.

Two of the sanctioned businesses, Hoopoe Sports and Ducashew General Trading, are based in Dubai and gave the Palm Jumeirah as Daniel’s address.

MTK, thanks to Daniel, is deeply embedded in the sport throughout the world having signed up hundreds of fighters.

It also emerged today police forces carried out a blitz against a major cocaine smuggling operation into European co-ordinated by criminals based in Dubai.

The UAE has come under recent pressure from western governments over its failure to stop money laundering and the Kinahan freeze is part of drive to improve its image.

Criminal gangs have found Dubai and its attractions for the wealthy a comfortable place to live in and do business, creating a haven for gang bosses.