On April 11, 2022, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control designated Kinahan Organized Crime Group (KOCG) along with its Irish leaders who are currently based in Dubai, several of the group’s key members and three associated businesses, for their alleged involvement in numerous murders, the international trafficking of deadly drugs and firearms, and engaging in international money laundering. The designations were issued by OFAC pursuant to Executive Order 13581, as amended, which enables the US to sanction transnational criminal organizations. OFAC reports that KOCG, which emerged in the late 1990s and early 2000s as the most powerful crime group operating in Ireland, has grown and is now established in the UK, Spain and the United Arab Emirates, frequently using Dubai as hub to support its illicit activities.
As a result of these designations, all property and interests in property of today’s designees within the United States or within the possession or control of a U.S. person are blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions involving the designated persons. In addition, entities owned 50 percent or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked.
Department of Treasury Press Release | OFAC – KOCG Transnational Criminal Organization Chart