Last night, an Irish government jet landed just outside Dublin. On board was Daniel Kinahan, alleged leader of one of Europe’s largest cocaine trafficking cartels. He was taken straight to court, charged with directing a criminal organisation and sent to prison. For years, he and his family have openly lived in Dubai. They were believed to be beyond the law, beyond punishment for their alleged crimes. Clearly, they were not.

Coverage last night and today has focused on many of the institutions involved. The Irish specialised police units, the agencies that seize criminal assets, and British police. It has also mentioned American sanctions and the huge American reward for his capture. Talks with the UAE have also received attention. But one man who was at the centre of the Irish efforts for seven years has received surprisingly little attention.

The genius of Jason Arday

There’s one rip-off Andy Burnham will never crack down on

Why my father would have seen through Arday’s nonsense

His name is Drew Harris. From September 2018 to September 2025, he headed the Irish police. Before that, he was a senior officer in the Police Service of Northern Ireland. He became the first outsider ever appointed to lead the Irish police. His father, an RUC officer, was murdered by the IRA in 1989.

Under Harris’s leadership, the Kinahans were made target number one and their downfall became the police’s priority. The pressure on the Kinahans slowly increased, but news stories were regularly leaked to the Irish press about the frustrations and difficulties with extradition agreements with Dubai.

The first........

© The Spectator