Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly came face to face with Daniel Kinahan at Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel, Dublin, after his extradition last Sunday.
Kelly said such a “significant” event had come about because of “relentless” work for a decade by the Garda Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau.
Making his first remarks since Kinahan (49) was extradited from Dubai to the Republic, when asked if he was present when the Dubliner was taken off the Government jet, Kelly said: “I certainly was.”
“As Garda Commissioner, there was a sense of pride at the teams we have in place. I’m a professional police officer, I’ve 34 years [service] so I’ve seen a lot over the years. But this was very significant.”
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After being arrested at Baldonnel on Sunday evening, Kinahan was brought before the Special Criminal Court in the city centre. He was charged with directing organised crime between October 2015 and April 2017. He has been remanded in custody at Portlaoise Prison until his next court appearance on October 5th.
Kelly explained he had been a detective inspector in the organised crime bureau in 2016, when the Kinahan-Hutch feud began. Many of the men and women he had worked with were still serving at the bureau and were also involved in last Sunday’s huge security operation.
“I had worked on many cases involving organised crime; attempted murders, murders that were all organised crime-related. So I’ve certainly seen the damage that was done over that period of time,” he said about organised crime generally, not just the cartel.
There were many “unsung heroes”, including detectives at garda and sergeant rank, who had “absolutely dedicated the last 10 years” to investigating the cartel.
“When I see where we were at the time of the Regency [Hotel attack in Dublin in 2016] and where we are now, we have made such inroads and such strides into it. And the reputation of An Garda Síochána is very high internationally. And we’ve worked with so many partners over the last number of years.”
[ What now for Daniel Kinahan’s wife, children and associates in Dubai?Opens in new window ]
Kelly was speaking to the media in Galway on Wednesday at the launch of a new high-visibility policing operation in the city.
High-visibility patrols – flooding uniformed gardaí into busy city centres to deter and detect crime – have been introduced into Dublin, Cork city and Limerick city over the past year.
Garda Headquarters said the patrols “have been shown to reduce key crimes in areas where they have been introduced”. The model is being extended to Galway after the allocation of extra gardaí to the city.
From 8am to 4am each day up to 13 extra Garda members will carry out the high-visibility patrols in the city centre and Salthill, focused on locations where the demands on the policing service show they are needed most.
“The additional Garda presence will provide reassurance to the community, strengthen our response to crime and anti-social behaviour and help ensure that Galway remains a safe and welcoming place to live, work, visit and socialise,” said Assistant Commissioner Clíona Richardson of the Garda North Western Region.
Acting Chief Supt of the Galway Garda Division, Damien Flanagan, said the initiative was “an important development for policing in Galway”.
“The plan has been shaped by a clear understanding of the issues affecting the city and by listening to the concerns of the local community and business sector,” he said, adding the extra patrols would “make a real difference on the ground”.
