How shock Kinahan move made cartel a global problem – and why their future is in doubt after latest high-profile arrest

THE recent arrest of senior Kinahan cartel mobster Liam Byrne signals that the crime conglomerate's days are numbered, it is claimed.

The final episode of the Irish Sun’s hit podcast The Kinahans dives into sanctions that have been placed on the Cartel and the recent arrest of Byrne.

The Crumlin gangster was taken into custody in Spain in front of young family having travelled over from his Dubai bolthole.

Byrne’s brother David was one of the most high-profile victims of the notorious Regency Hotel attack.

But in the aftermath of the bloodthirsty massacre, unprecedented sanctions against the upper echelons of the gang mean their days at the top are numbered.

Some of the gardai’s most senior officers have told how the gang are now set firmly in their sights.

Former assistant commissioner Michael O’Sullivan explained: “Once you have the Drugs Enforcement Agency on board, once you have the Americans on board - and they make you persona non grata - they have such clout globally that the world suddenly becomes a smaller place because the Americans have a variety of laws that you don’t have to commit crime inside in the states to get arrested.”

In this week’s episode - the last in the series - the Irish Sun’s Damien Lane gives listeners an in-depth analysis of the Cartel’s new found links with terror gangs like Hezbollah and rouge state Iran.

The Sunday Times’ John Mooney continued: “People ask why now? Why are law enforcement from across the world pursuing the Kinahans?

“It’s a really simple answer. This particular group has become involved with rogue states such as Iran.

“It’s became involved with terrorist organisations that are affiliates of jihadist networks. So they stop becoming a criminal problem and have now morphed into an international security problem.”

He added: “So the Kinahans their involvement with, say, Hezbollah and Iran is primarily made up of money laundering for and providing money laundering services.

“Also probably buying drugs from them or certainly securing smuggling routes and using their worldwide logistical operations to move money and drugs or other types of contraband, etc

“And in return, groups like the Kinahans provide logistical support through the criminal networks for actors from within the Iranian intelligence services and Hezbollah to maybe carry out killings in Europe and to do other things for them.”

The podcast also looks at unravelling of Daniel Kinahan’s MTK boxing empire following the US sanctions.

SUPPORT FROM STARS VANISHES

Matt Christie, editor of Boxing News, said: “The vast majority of people that were known to be associated with Kinahans went exceptionally quiet.

“Certain YouTube channels were quick to remove any MTK logos from microphones.

“And I think everybody for a certain period of time were very concerned about being too positive. Fighters that we know that were very vocal over the years in their support. And that disappeared almost overnight.”

He added: “Bob Yellen, who was an influential figure behind the scenes in boxing, largely for his work in journalism. A Hall of Famer and International Boxing Hall of Famer, he was the first.

“He announced his resignation from MTK and I think it was a week after that where MTK essentially just disappeared.”

In June of 2022, fighters who had associations with Daniel Kinahan and MTK began to feel the repercussions hit home.

Tyson Fury, his brother Tommy and their father John were all given travel bans to the US ahead of Tommy’s New York fight with Youtuber Jake Paul.

Christie said: “I think the biggest name that we know that was affected would be Tyson Fury, who had rebuilt his career in America, had some of his biggest fights in America, and was a crossover star over there in the US.

"And I think it’s quite telling that since the sanctions he hasn’t fought over there since. I think they have eradicated that situation.

“Now it’s high security, but yet there’s still you still hear now of people within the sport of boxing who turn up at the airport are turned away because they can’t get to America.”