DUBAI,— Dubai police have arrested an Irish fugitive suspected of leading an organized crime group, Irish media reported on Friday, identifying the man as Daniel Kinahan.

Police in Dubai said they detained an Irish national linked to an organized criminal network involved in international crimes in his home country.

Authorities did not name the suspect in their statement. They said the arrest took place on Wednesday after receiving a judicial file from Irish authorities.

The Irish Times reported that the case against Kinahan is tied to a long-running gang feud in Ireland. Other outlets, including state broadcaster RTE, also identified the arrested man as Kinahan.

The United States named Kinahan in 2022 as one of three leaders of the Kinahan Organised Crime Group and announced a reward of 5 million dollars for information leading to arrests.

The U.S. Treasury said the group operates as a drug trafficking network with global reach and compared it to major international crime organizations.

It also said the group has used Dubai as a base for illegal activities.

Kinahan, born on June 25, 1977, is known as a boxing promoter. Irish authorities, including the High Court, have identified him as a senior figure in organized crime.

The Criminal Assets Bureau has stated he directed the operations of the Kinahan group, which is involved in trafficking drugs and firearms across Ireland, the United Kingdom, and Europe, with links to wider criminal networks in several regions.

The group has been involved in a violent feud with the Hutch gang since 2015. The conflict began after the killing of Gary Hutch in Marbella, Spain.

At least 18 people had died in the dispute by August 2021.

In a 2022 affidavit to the Irish High Court, the head of the Garda Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau said Kinahan had approved several killings connected to the feud. The statement was part of a case in which assets were seized as proceeds of crime.

Kinahan has denied wrongdoing. His lawyer told the BBC in 2021 that he has no criminal convictions and rejected claims that he is a crime leader.

(With files from Reuters, Agencies)

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