Sean McGovern’s extradition from Dubai is said to be a “test case” ahead of action against Kinahan leaders

Earlier this week, Garda Chief Dew Harris and Dubai Police Commander-in-Chief Lieutenant General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri held a high-profile meeting in Dubai to discuss cross-border crime.

In a photo sure to give the UAE’s wanted cartel men goosebumps, both police chiefs are seen publicly for the first time shaking hands as they prepare a plan to crack down on the Irish criminals.

At the top of their list is McGovern, who is wanted in Ireland for murder and organized crime-related offences.

There remains an arrest warrant for Daniel Kinahan’s right-hand man in connection with a Hutch/Kinahan murder feud

Gardai suspect he was involved in organizing a number of other feud killings, including that of Noel “Duck Egg” Kirwan, 62, who was shot six times as he sat in his car on St Ronan’s Drive in Clondalkin on December 22, 2016 . Dublin 22.

Gardaí also want to charge Mr McGovern with gang-related offenses relating to the attempted murder of Hutch employee James “Mago” Gately.

Originally from Crumlin, McGovern, who was once a key part of the Byrne Organized Crime Group and led the Kinahan’s Irish operation for years, moved to the Emirates full-time after Kirwan’s murder in December 2016.

During the US sanctions, he was wanted for murder and for directing and participating in an organized criminal group. Gardai said on April 12 this year that the High Court had issued a European Arrest Warrant for him.

However, McGovern has yet to be arrested by police.

Last November, McGovern’s “devoted father” Des died, but McGovern was forced to watch the service online from his hiding place.

McGovern, who became very close to Daniel after the attack at the Regency Hotel and was injured in the shootout, later became Kinahan’s oldest and most trusted pal.

His girlfriend Anita Freeman and his children moved to the Emirates after he fled Ireland following the Kirwan murder.

McGovern’s former home on Kildare Road in Crumlin was later seized as part of the CAB proceedings against the Byrne organization.

Before the keys to the house were handed over to the FBI, its furnishings, including the kitchen and bathrooms, were torn out.

McGovern assisted Kinahan with his business ventures while in the United Arab Emirates.

In July last year, a man described as a “trusted supporter” of the Kinahan cartel was sentenced to more than eight years in prison for his role in the murder of Kirwan and the attempted murder of an associate of the rival Hutch gang.

Martin Aylmer was sentenced to ten years and four months in prison, the last two suspended, after he pleaded guilty to being involved in or contributing to the murder of innocent father-of-four Kirwan in 2016 have.

He had previously pleaded guilty to a similar offense in connection with the attempted murder of James “Mago” Gately.

Both men were targeted because the Kinahan cartel believed they were linked to people involved in the murder of David Byrne at the Regency Hotel in February 2016, the Special Criminal Court has heard.

Last month, in a file submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service, Gardai recommended that Daniel Kinahan be charged with leading a murderous criminal organization.

The file will be examined by the Director of Prosecutions (DPP), who will decide whether there is enough evidence to bring formal charges against the cartel leader.

Detectives from the Garda Drugs and Organized Crime Bureau have been working on the investigation for several years with the aim of bringing down both Kinahan and the rest of the gang hierarchy.

Garda Commissioner Harris announced this week that a file had been submitted to the DPP for consideration as part of the investigation.

Sundayworld.com understands the recommendations included are to charge Daniel Kinahan with leading an organized crime gang. If convicted, the offense carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

The transfer of the file to the DPP remained secret until the Garda chief said it had been forwarded to the Crown Prosecution Service for consideration.

A Garda spokesman said: “Following a comprehensive and wide-ranging investigation by the Garda Drugs and Organized Crime Bureau into numerous serious crimes committed here in Ireland by the Kinahan organized crime gang, An Garda Síochána recently submitted a file to the DPP.”

Mr Harris said gardaí would “hope that senior figures in the Kinahan Organized Crime Group will be brought to justice here in Ireland”.

While Mr Harris previously said it was more likely they would be tried abroad, the development gives new hope they could be prosecuted in Ireland.

Gardaí said they would continue to work with law enforcement partners in the US, UK and Europe “as part of a joint international effort to disrupt and dismantle the Kinahan organized crime gang”.

Although the material submitted in the file has not been disclosed, it is understood investigators have collected a large amount of evidence which they claim links Daniel Kinahan to the day-to-day running of the gang.

In addition, the US Treasury Department continues to offer a bounty of $15 million (13.8 million euros) for information leading to the conviction and dismantling of Daniel Kinahan, his father Christy Sr. and his brother Christopher Jr lead a criminal gang.

Gardaí said more than 70 gang members have been convicted so far of offenses including murder, drug trafficking, firearms and money laundering.

A spokesman said as the file had been sent to the DPP they could not comment further.

It is a further blow to the Kinahan organized crime gang, whose senior figures have been jailed or charged by gardaí in recent years.