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UAE seized 82 properties, arrested Irish crime boss in 48 hours, minister reveals
Incoming extradition requests to the UAE rose by 235 per cent between 2021 and 2025, while mutual legal assistance requests increased by 244 per cent
- PUBLISHED: Sun 27 Sept 2026, 3:01 PM UPDATED: Sun 27 Sept 2026, 3:08 PM
The UAE arrested one of Ireland's most wanted alleged crime bosses within 48 hours of receiving a formal extradition request and coordinated the seizure of 82 properties on its soil linked to a French investigation, as part of a sweeping crackdown on transnational crime, a UAE official revealed on Sunday.
The UAE's Minister of Justice was speaking at the 15th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, the world's largest gathering of crime prevention and criminal justice policymakers, held this year in Abu Dhabi.
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Abdullah Sultan bin Awad Al Nuaimi said both cases demonstrate the UAE's capacity for rapid international judicial cooperation, adding that the country's average response time for voluntary extradition has been reduced to five days, compared to the 60 to 180 days stipulated in international guidelines.
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Arrest of Irish crime boss
In the first case, Al Nuaimi said Daniel Kinahan underwent a full judicial review, culminating in a final ruling by the Dubai Court of Cassation, before he was extradited to Ireland on August 9, 2026, and charged with directing the activities of a criminal organisation.
Kinahan, 49, fled to Dubai in 2016 following a shooting at a Dublin hotel and spent nearly a decade evading justice. The US designated him as one of three leaders of the Kinahan Organised Crime Group in 2022, offering a five million dollar reward for information leading to his arrest.
The group is suspected of trafficking large quantities of cocaine from South America into Ireland, the United Kingdom and Spain, laundering hundreds of millions of euros through legitimate businesses, and orchestrating a gang war that left at least 18 people dead.
Seizure of 82 properties
In the second case, direct coordination between UAE and French authorities led to the identification and tracing of assets linked to four individuals, resulting in the seizure of 82 properties in the UAE in November 2025.
Incoming extradition requests to the UAE rose by 235 per cent between 2021 and 2025, while mutual legal assistance requests increased by 244 per cent over the same period, reflecting what Al Nuaimi described as growing international trust in the UAE's legal system.
The UAE currently has more than 140 bilateral judicial cooperation agreements with 53 countries.
Al Nuaimi was speaking during a thematic session titled 'Strengthening International Judicial Cooperation: The UAE Experience and Global Partnerships', held as part of the high-level segment of the congress, which continues in Abu Dhabi until October 1.
Emirati Journalist