Garda boss hits out at Kinahan cartel 'fake news'

Gardaí, speaking on the fifth anniversary of the Regency Hotel shooting, insist they are dismantling the Kinahan operation

Assistant Commissioner John O'Driscoll at a press briefing on An Garda Síochána's ongoing response to organised crime. Picture: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie

The Garda’s top gangland investigator has strongly criticised the “fake news” being pumped out on behalf of the Kinahan cartel. 

Assistant Commissioner John O’Driscoll said a glossy video making claims of Garda and Government corruption in relation to the Hutch attack at the Regency Hotel five years ago was part of a disinformation campaign by the Kinahan cartel.

The head of Garda Organised and Serious Crime said he has even seen “bogus documentation” purporting to be from international law enforcement agencies that was part of cartel spin efforts.

He was speaking on the fifth anniversary of the Regency assault by the Hutch crime group which sparked a murderous revenge campaign by the Kinahan crime cartel.

The Garda chief said that while anniversaries were not necessarily different from any other time in posing a risk of attacks, he said Garda gangland units “stand prepared” and operate on intelligence gathered.

On a video presenting a “bizarre” Kinahan take on the Regency attack, Mr O’Driscoll said it suggested “corruption” on the part of An Garda Síochána and Government.

He said the people behind it are not accountable.

“It illustrates the capacity of organised crime groups where they have generated significant wealth to spend the sort of resources to produce that particular footage,” he said.

He said this was the “danger with fake news”.

He said the problem went beyond Ireland and said he had seen “bogus documents purporting to emanate from international law enforcement agencies” circulating and included in a book about organised crime.

He also rejected claims from cartel boss Daniel Kinahan that Garda evidence in the courts against cartel associates was just Garda opinion and not proper evidence.

Mr O'Driscoll said gardaí were “in the process of dismantling” the Kinahan cartel and cited the mass convictions in the courts as well as ongoing seizures of drugs, firearms, and cash.

He also provided up-to-date figures on the operations of the Garda Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau.

He said that since the start of 2020, the bureau has made 228 arrests and seized: 

• €36.7m worth of drugs;
• 23 firearms and 2,131 rounds of ammunition;
• €8m in cash, including almost €4m already in 2021.