Kinahan crime gang: United Arab Emirates freezes assets after US sanctions

Earlier this month, US authorities said a $5m reward was being offered for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the gang's leaders

The United Arab Emirates has frozen the assets of the Kinahan crime gang.

The Irish-organised crime group is believed to frequently use Dubai as part of its operations.

Earlier in April, US authorities offered a $5m (£3.84m) reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the gang's leaders.

The US has imposed sanctions against seven senior members of the gang as part of a bid to target their financial operations.

Daniel Kinahan, 44, has previously been named in the Irish courts as the head of one of Europe's most prominent drug gangs.

His father Christopher Snr, 65, and brother Christopher Jnr, 41, were also among those sanctioned.

On Wednesday, it was announced that boxing promotion company MTK Global, which was co-founded by Daniel Kinahan, is to close down.

World heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, who was previously advised by Mr Kinahan, said on Tuesday that he had "absolutely zero" involvement with him.

• US sanctions gang leader with links to Tyson Fury

• Kinahan gang sanctions 'heavy blow' to activities

• Boxing firm founded by Kinahan to shut down

The authorities in the UAE say their move is in line with its national framework and international commitments for tackling crime.

The announcement was described as "very welcome news" by Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Micheál Martin.

"Ultimately crime does not pay and I think what this illustrates is the power of countries working together on the international level," he said.

Irish Justice Minister Helen McEntee also said the move showed "the swift impact of the sanctions announced last week to dismantle the Kinahan organised crime group".

"An Garda Síochána's (Irish police's) tireless work in building a international law enforcement coalition to dismantle the gang has sent a clear signal that nobody is out of reach of the law.

"The net is now clearly tightening on the Kinahan organised crime group."

Daniel Kinahan leaving court in Spain in 2010

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Garda (Irish police) said it "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."

The Kinahan cartel emerged in Dublin in the 1990s and the US says it is one of the world's largest crime groups.

The gang, which the British Treasury Department says now uses Dubai as a "hub" for its illegal activities, operates in Ireland, the UK, Spain and the United Arab Emirates, with interests in the drug trade and money laundering, according to the Treasury.