Irish criminals have connections to 'extremely dangerous' international drugs cartels, Garda chief says

Garda commissioner Justin Kelly says there are criminal groups working 'outside this jurisdiction that have had devastating effects here'

Kerry businessman Nathan McDonnell was jailed for 12 years after he pleaded guilty to importing drugs into Cork and facilitating the activities of a criminal organisation. Picture: Domnick Walsh

Gardaí are investigating active connections between Irish criminals and murderous international cartels, many operating in South and Central America, the Garda commissioner has said.

Irish criminals are now connected to “some of the most prominent transnational organised crime groups” in the world, Justin Kelly said.

Irish operatives for the deadly Sinaloa cartel in Mexico were investigated after a crystal meth trafficking operation was intercepted in Kerry in 2023.

Prominent Kerry business owner and former chairman of the Tralee Chamber Alliance Nathan McDonnell was jailed for 12 years in 2025 after he pleaded guilty to importing drugs into Cork and facilitating the activities of a criminal organisation.

McDonnell had allowed a large industrial machine with €32.4m worth of crystal meth concealed within it to be stored at his family business — Ballyseedy Garden Centre outside Tralee. He also tried to arrange for the machine to be transported to Australia.

Sinaloa is “an extremely dangerous cartel”, Mr Kelly said.

“Of course, we come across people in Ireland, as they do in all European countries, attached to different organised criminal groups all the time. And in any of those types of situations, we'll investigate them really thoroughly," he said.

“We've got really good cooperation with partners abroad, and with really good capability now in units like our Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, our national criminal intelligence units. They have really good capabilities to deal with some of these activities here in Ireland.” 

Irish criminals have “of course got connections back into South America,” the Garda commissioner said.

“That's where most of the product comes from,” he said.

Daniel Kinahan was arrested in Dubai last month and is awaiting extradition to Ireland. Picture: Colin Keegan/Collins

But Mr Kelly would not categorise the operation of transnational crime groups like the Sinaloa cartel as a major problem here.

Ireland’s most infamous organised crime gang, the Kinahan cartel, suffered a major blow by law enforcement recently when one of its leaders, Daniel Kinahan, was arrested in Dubai and is awaiting extradition to Ireland.

The 48-year-old, originally from Dublin, had been living in the United Arab Emirates for years. He was arrested on foot of an Irish arrest warrant after years of Garda investigations into the cartel.

Daniel Kinahan’s father and brother, Christy Kinahan Sr and Jr, remain at large and are believed to be in the UAE.

Gardaí will continue to pursue the Kinahan cartel “relentlessly”, even after the arrest of Daniel Kinahan, Mr Kelly said.

The Kinahan organised crime group remains one of Europe’s biggest drug trafficking cartels.

But the Kinahan cartel is not the only organised crime group operating in Ireland, the Garda commissioner said.

“There are other groups who are working outside this jurisdiction that have had devastating effects here," he said.

“We’ve had some really important successes with them in the last number of months.

“And key to those successes are international partnerships with police and law enforcement agencies abroad.”