Daily Mail
· collected 2026-09-27 · by Debbie Mccann Crime Correspondent
Michael O’Sullivan, a former assistant commissioner of the Garda Síochána who first arrested Christy Kinahan in 1986, discusses Kinahan's impending departure from Dubai by September 29 after his visa was canceled. O’Sullivan describes Kinahan as "completely ruthless" and "very strategic," noting that he has been planning for this moment for years with multiple backup plans. The article highlights the US government’s $5 million reward for information leading to Kinahan's arrest or conviction, emphasizing law enforcement’s ongoing interest in tracking his movements despite him not being wanted on Irish charges currently.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-27,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Christy Kinahan has been ‘planning’ for the day he was ordered to leave Dubai for years, the man who was the first garda to arrest the crime godfather said this weekend.
asserted
who → plan → godfather
Former assistant commissioner Michael O’Sullivan said the so-called ‘Dapper Don’ is ‘completely ruthless’ and ‘very strategic’ – but added he has also been very ‘lucky’.
asserted
he → say → ?
Kinahan Senior has until this Tuesday to leave Dubai after enjoying a life of luxury in the United Arab Emirate for the past decade.
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Senior → have → decade
The 69-year-old was ordered by authorities to leave the Persian Gulf city by September 29 after his visa was suddenly cancelled at the end of last month.
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visa → order → month
Gardaí will continue to track Kinahan’s movements and will be looking closely at his next move.
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Gardaí → continue → move
Mr O’Sullivan said his old nemesis has been planning his exit from Dubai for ‘years’.
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nemesis → say → years
He told the Irish Mail on Sunday: ‘He has a plan.
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He → tell → plan
He’s had a plan for this day years ago.
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He → have → day
Christy Kinahan has been ‘planning’ for the day he was ordered to leave Dubai for years
‘
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he → plan → years
He has a fallback plan, and a fallback plan after the other fallback plan,’ he said.
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he → have → plan
‘I think when the pressure was coming on there was quite a lot of property sold, so he was looking at the doomsday scenario to some extent,’ Mr O Sullivan said.
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Sullivan → think → extent
But the retired garda - who first arrested Kinahan in Dublin in 1986 – said the crime boss ‘will be very worried [now] and very concerned’.
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boss → arrest → 1986
And he pointed out: ‘Law enforcement only have to get lucky once.’
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enforcement → point → ?
While Kinahan is not wanted in relation to charges here, a US government $5 million (€4.38million) reward is still outstanding for information leading to the drug trafficker’s arrest or conviction.
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reward → want → arrest
The same reward is offered for information leading to the capture of his younger son, Christopher Junior, who also continues to live in Dubai.
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who → offer → Dubai
His older son Daniel, who took over the running of the drug empire his father built, is in custody at the maximum-security Portlaoise Prison following his recent extradition from Dubai.
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father → take → Dubai
Last month he was charged with directing an organised crime group between 2015 and 2017.
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he → charge → 2015
Mr O’Sullivan said the UAE had been ‘very safe’ for people who are ‘on the run or want to stay under the radar’ of European law enforcement.
But this all changed following the arrests and extradition from Dubai of Daniel Kinahan and of gang lieutenant Seán McGovern.
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this → say → McGovern
The retired assistant commissioner first arrested Kinahan in 1986 when he caught him with heroin valued at IR£117,000, a very large quantity at the time.
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he → arrest → time
The elder Kinahan was not widely known back then but Mr O’Sullivan said he soon learned how ‘ruthless’ he is.
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he → know → ?
While Kinahan is not wanted in relation to charges here, a US government $5 million reward is still outstanding for information leading to the drug trafficker’s arrest or conviction
He said that, prior to the mid-1980s, Kinahan was a ‘useless’ fraudster known as a ‘kite man’ but saw the profits in heroin and decided it would be a ‘good business venture’.
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it → want → heroin
Mr O’Sullivan told the MoS: ‘He was an opportunist and when he saw the heroin trade, he realised that was where the money is.
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money → tell → trade
‘He saw the destruction it [heroin] was doing, but he also saw the profits in it.
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he → see → it
‘He went in purely as a mercenary and he was this faceless person at the top of the pyramid.
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he → go → pyramid
He is totally ruthless,’ Mr O’Sullivan said.
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O’Sullivan → say → ?
Sources this weekend said Kinahan will be ‘very closely monitored’ when he leaves Dubai on Tuesday.
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he → say → Tuesday
Gardaí and European police agencies will be closely monitoring the drug trafficker’s next move.
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Gardaí → monitor → move
One source familiar with the ongoing Garda investigation into the cartel said Kinahan Senior’s options are ‘limited’.
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options → say → cartel
They told the MoS: ‘All this rubbish about going to Russia… are you mad?
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you → tell → Russia
But he has a lot of contacts in Colombia and I would suggest he would go there and reinvent himself.’
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he → have → himself
Kinahan Senior has until this Tuesday to leave Dubai after enjoying a life of luxury in the United Arab Emirate for the past decade
While Kinahan is not facing any charges in Ireland, he is charged in Spain in relation to passport fraud following his high-profile Operation Shovel arrest in 2010.
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he → leave → 2010
Earlier this year, officials in Spain said they could try Kinahan Senior ‘on his own and in his absence’.
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they → say → absence
The source added: ‘I think he [Kinahan] is in trouble.
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he → add → trouble
‘When he leaves Dubai, he is leaving serious wealth and money behind him.
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he → leave → him
‘He does have access to private aviation travel.
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He → have → travel
But the fact he and Christy Junior didn’t leave Dubai before now tells us he has limited options.
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he → leave → options
‘It would be mad for him to return home to Ireland, or anywhere else in Europe for that matter.
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him → return → matter
The Spanish are after him and the gardaí are monitoring him very closely indeed.
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gardaí → monitor → him
‘He is also subject of a huge reward from the US government,’ the source said.
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source → say → government
Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan this week remarked that the Kinahans are ‘running out of places to go’.
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Kinahans → remark → places
…and 13 more, not listed.
The Aporia
