Alleged crime boss Daniel Kinahan 'requests Quran and prayer mat' from prison
Daniel Kinahan may have swapped a cell in Dubai's Al Awir Prison for one in Ireland's Portlaoise Prison, but he managed to bring one bit of UAE life with him.
As reported by Nicola Tallant in Crime World, Kinahan, a man accused of being one of the 'most high-profile organised crime individuals' in the world, has requested a copy of the Quran and a prayer mat from his jailers.
It's reported Kinahan, 49, converted to Islam during his time in the United Arab Emirates, where he had been living since 2016, and that he was granted the request by staff at the prison.
Kinahan stands accused of directing a criminal organisation, and will remain in prison on remand until he's next in court on 5 October.
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It's reported that he also asked for, and was granted, a meeting with his alleged second in command, Sean McGovern.
The pair were said to have spoken for an hour in the exercise yard of the high security prison, during which McGovern, who is serving a 24-year sentence for his role in running a criminal organisation, gifted Kinahan a stereo system and a pair of flip-flops.
Daniel Kinahan returned to Ireland on August 9
Kinahan was arrested in Dubai on 15 April and held in the infamous Al Awir prison, with the warrant for his detainment issued through a bilateral agreement on extradition between Ireland and the UAE.
After a decade away from his homeland, Kinahan was flown to Ireland on a government plane on Sunday, 9 August. Upon landing, was immediately escorted to court in Dublin in a high-speed convoy.
There, he was charged with directing the activities of a criminal organisation between 18 October 2015 and 6 April 2017 in a 14-minute hearing.
He reportedly made no reaction as the charges were given.
Detective Sergeant Colin Davidson told the court that he had arrested Kinahan on a warrant issued by the Irish courts at Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel at 6.49pm that day.
He said he ensured that the accused understood the charge.
Judge McGrath told Kinahan when the case would next be heard, and explained to him that because of the charge, an application for bail would have to be made to the High Court.
Kinahan replied: "I think we know I won’t be getting bail. But, thank you."
He will next appear in court on 5 October and was told that he has the option of either attending in person or appearing via video link.
The High Court in Dublin previously named Kinaham as a senior figure in the Kinahan organised crime group that was allegedly involved in international drug trafficking and other firearms offences.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) previously said that the Kinahan cartel has been responsible for importing drugs and firearms around the world and has also been linked to gangland murders. The US Treasury Department has also previously described the Kinahan cartel as one of the most dangerous globally.
Kinahan has reportedly been placed on A-Wing in Portlaoise Prison, alongside high-profile neighbours.
Topics: Ireland
Daniel Murphy