Why ruthless Mexican and Columbian drug cartels' latest move proves time is up for 'Dapper Don' Christy Kinahan and his 'decomposing' criminal empire, says top US narco hunter

Published: 21:56, 15 August 2026 | Updated: 21:57, 15 August 2026 The remaining leaders of the weakened Kinahan cartel will soon be arrested and extradited back to Ireland to face justice, according to the former US Treasury chief who orchestrated the international sanctions against the crime gang.   In an exclusive interview with the Irish Mail on Sunday, Greg Gatjanis said the Kinahan organisation is now being shunned by the Colombian and Mexican cartels that helped them to become major players in the international drugs trade. The former Head of Global Targeting for Sanctions for the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said the Kinahan gang is ‘decomposing’ since the arrest and extradition of alleged leader Daniel Kinahan and senior lieutenant Seán McGovern. And he warned that there is now nowhere to hide for the 'Dapper Don' Kinahan cartel godfather Christy Snr, and Daniel’s younger brother Christy Jnr, even if they try to flee from their Dubai bolthole. Mr Gatjanis said: ‘The UAE [United Arab Emirates] is not a safe place for them right now and they know it, because they already saw one get arrested, and they saw Seán McGovern get extradited. ‘I would imagine the remaining leaders of the Kinahan organisation are fearful right now that they’re going to be next.’ Mr Gatjanis’ officials prepared the damning report that convinced then American President Joe Biden to sign the order sanctioning the Kinahans in April 2022, which proved to be a game changer for the Irish authorities fighting to bring down the cartel. He said the arrest and extradition of alleged leader Daniel Kinahan is proof the crime gang ‘is on the decline’. ‘Every criminal leader who may have Irish nationality will probably be wondering “am I next?” [to be extradited] if they get arrested. I believe the extradition of Daniel is evidence the Kinahan criminal organisation is on the decline. I think they have been on the decline for a while but I think this really confirms it.’ The sanctions expert – who has investigated some of the world’s biggest and most notorious criminal gangs – said South American cartels will not want to deal directly with the Kinahan organisation in the wake of the high-profile arrests and extradition proceedings. ‘The Latin American drug cartels will work with whoever they can to make money, there’s no doubt about it, but they do take the path of least resistance. ‘I believe the arrest and extradition not only of Daniel, but you also have Seán McGovern before him from last year…  'I would think they would probably be having more difficulty now acquiring illicit drugs for transport. ‘I think there’s too much attention paid to them [Kinahans] now. I believe their shipments could be drying up through the Kinahan organisation, and it’s not to say that the Mexican and Colombian cartels have not found other criminals in Ireland.  'I think the Kinahans are really decomposing in their declining organisation,’ Mr Gatjanis said. ‘I would be surprised if they’re [Colombian and Mexican cartels] in communication… they’re not in communication with Daniel. I’ll tell you that. But are they still remaining in communication with the remaining figures of the Kinahan organisation in Dubai or elsewhere? ‘It’s possible, but my money would be that communication has either declined or been severed by either side,’ he said ‘The Mexicans probably don’t want to deal with them…. And they [the Kinahans] don’t want any more evidence being weighed against them.’ Last Sunday, the alleged day-to-day leader of the Kinahan organised crime group was extradited back to Ireland after spending a decade living a luxury lifestyle in Dubai with his family. Shortly after touching down in the Government jet at Casement Aerodrome, Daniel Kinahan was charged at the Special Criminal Court in Dublin with directing a criminal organisation. His return follows the 24-year sentence handed to Seán McGovern for his role in the bloody Hutch-Kinahan feud, which claimed 18 lives. Analysing the threat level the Kinahans posed to the US, Mr Gatjanis said: ‘There are a couple of factors. One is that they are colluding with Colombian drug traffickers, working with them and the Mexicans, and they would ship the drugs over there [Ireland]. ‘The point we made is that it is enriching the very cartels that are destroying the United States with fentanyl and other drugs. That’s one line. It’s more of an indirect criminal pipeline. ‘The other is that the United States, as all countries do, have investment in the stability of our neighbours and our allies and our foreign friends, and we thought it was the right thing to do.’ As soon as the game-changing US sanctions were announced on April 12, 2022, 20,000 American banks across the world were provided with all the biographical details that security agencies and Mr Gatjanis’s team had compiled about each of the senior Kinahan gang members. It is understood substantial amounts of cash were frozen, which meant Kinahan leaders were no longer able to use credit cards or ATM machines linked to bank accounts with American banks. But they still would have been able to use cards linked to banks in the UAE. Before the sanctions were imposed, the Kinahan leader had established a number of legitimate businesses, including boxing promotion and nutritional drinks firms. However, their attempts to whitewash their illicit drugs empire failed and the US authorities offered a $15million (€13million) reward for information about Daniel Kinahan and his father and brother. These $5million (€4.4million) rewards offered by US law enforcement for courtroom-grade information remain in relation to Christy Snr and Christy Jnr, both of whom are still living openly in Dubai. Mr Gatjanis believes the arrests have sparked a power struggle among those remaining in Dubai and that the bounties on Christy Snr and Jnr have destroyed internal trust. Daniel Kinahan is now officially categorised as ‘captured’ by the US Department of State following his detention and extradition. However, the $5million reward for the alleged crime boss is not eligible to be paid out until a conviction has been secured. Mr Gatjanis said that from his investigations, ‘[Daniel Kinahan] had a sense that he was protected, he was untouchable… and I think he’s being humbled right now.’ Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.