By David Amoruso for Gangsters Inc.
Reputed Irish mob boss Daniel Kinahan is a man with many talents. Following in the footsteps of his father Christy, he leads a crime clan in Dublin, Ireland, that has grown into a global drug cartel that pumps tons of cocaine into Europe. Still, he knows his limits. That is why he hired a former member of the British Special Forces to train him and his crew in military tactics.
Kinahan currently resides in Dubai, the luxurious desert city in the United Arab Emirates, which has turned into a safe haven for fugitive criminals and shady characters with lots of money. Though Dubai is flush with billions in oil profits, it isn’t picky about which visitors it welcomes in.
Money buys you a home in Dubai, no matter what your reputation is. Two of Kinahan’s closest associates, drug bosses Ridouan Taghi, of the Moroccan-Dutch Mafia, and Raffeale Imperiale, of the Italian Camorra, also reside there. Before moving to Dubai, Spain was the preferred safe spot in the sun or such men. Of course, weren’t as rich and powerful then as they are now.
A few years ago, before the Kinahan Clan started fighting a gang war against a rival group led by mob boss Gerry Hutch, Kinahan led his organization from Spain. Already familiar with violence back home in Dublin, Kinahan did not feel at ease. He became increasingly paranoid and felt he needed training to make sure he kept himself and his family safe from attackers.
- READ: Irish mob boss Gerry “The Monk” Hutch arrested in Spain – Charged with brazen hit at boxing weigh-in
So, Kinahan hired a former member of the British Special Forces who had set up his own firm offering services in “covert operations.” This man was tasked with organizing shooting practices, martial arts training, and counter surveillance exercises for Kinahan and his men.
According to the book Fat Freddie: A Gangster's Life - The Bloody Career of Freddie Thompson by author Stephen Breen, the commando taught them how to identify when someone was following them via car and how to shake them off. They even began wearing fake beards and hair pieces to disguise their identities. As they say in the spy business: pure tradecraft.
- READ: Smirking and laughing as his victims died violent deaths - Profile: Irish mob hitman “Fat Freddie” Thompson
Some of the training exercises were actually surveilled by Spanish police who were keeping an eye on the notorious Irish drug lord. They had the phones of Kinahan and his men tapped. But during training, they lost them for a while. The gangsters were using walkie-talkies to remain under the radar as part of the exercise. The Special Forces training had the desired effect.
Photo: Daniel Kinahan and boxing champion Tyson Fury
Of course, Kinahan and his men had no clue they were being watched at that time. If the whole thing was a real test then they had failed.
Still, his idea was a good one. Years later, his partner-in-crime, Ridouan Taghi, was found by investigators to have a highly decorated Dutch commando on his payroll. The man allegedly trained members of his organization. Taghi was already in prison by that point, but authorities were shocked to hear him talk about a prison break with help from some “Navy SEAL type men”.
Kinahan, meanwhile, is still living happily in Dubai, in freedom. He is involved in the world of boxing and mixed martial arts and frequently takes pictures with various famous fighters, like boxing champion Tyson Fury. Laying low he is not.
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