FLASH NEWS
DEA's movie-like action where 2.2 tons of cocaine were seized, the activities of the infamous Irish Kinahan cartel are revealed
2025-07-14 20:28:33 / BOTA
An undercover operation by US DEA agents has revealed for the first time the inside story of a global drug trafficking network led by the notorious Irish Kinahan cartel, just days after eight members of the group were convicted of trying to smuggle 2.2 tonnes of cocaine into Ireland.
The sensational operation – similar to an action movie scene – was carried out by Irish army special forces, who landed from helicopters on board a Panamanian-flagged cargo ship, the MV Matthew, in September 2023. The cargo, worth around £132 million, was described as the largest ever cocaine seizure in Irish waters.
DEA infiltration and international cooperation
According to documents just released by a US federal court, DEA agents had infiltrated Kinahan’s network more than a year before the major seizure on the MV Matthew. The operation began in the city of Ankara, Turkey, in June 2022, where the DEA recruited a secret informant with the nickname “Queen”, who managed to gain the trust of Opinder Singh Sian, a Canadian citizen suspected of having played a key role in the trafficking network.
Sian was then introduced to an undercover agent who claimed to have connections to transport large quantities of drugs through the cargo port in Long Beach, California, one of the busiest ports in the US. In March 2023, they met at a restaurant in Manhattan Beach, initiating negotiations to smuggle methamphetamine to Australia, where prices can exceed $200,000 per kilogram.
Sophisticated methods and global expansion
During the summer of 2023, the DEA and undercover agents staged a fake shipment in Pomona, near Los Angeles, replacing the real drugs with fake packages. Meanwhile, Australian authorities used a GPS-equipped container to track the drugs to a suspected warehouse in Sydney.
According to court documents, Sian used encrypted apps like Threema to communicate with Queen and other associates. He is also suspected of having ties to the Italian mafia, a known Turkish drug trafficker and other organized crime groups.
The investigation also uncovered a plan to smuggle precursor chemicals for the production of fentanyl from China to the US via Canada, which reinforces suspicions that the Chinese are moving away from the traditional cocaine trade and towards synthetic drugs.
The Kinahan Cartel – an international threat
Founded in the late 1990s in Dublin, the Kinahan cartel is led by Christy “Dapper Don” Kinahan, a former street vendor turned international trafficker. Now based in Dubai with his sons, Daniel and Christopher Jr., the Kinahan family is subject to international sanctions and a $5 million reward has been offered by the US for information leading to their arrest.
In addition to connections in Ireland and the UK, the Kinahan cartel has large investments in Turkey, supplies the Australian market, and is suspected of having links to the Iranian-backed terrorist organization Hezbollah.
Spectacular catch in the Irish Sea
Last year's operation to capture the MV Matthew was the culmination of cooperation between international agencies and Irish Army Special Forces, who boarded the vessel in rough seas. Footage showed dramatic moments as members of the Irish Armed Forces shouted warnings and then jumped aboard the vessel as the crew attempted to evade arrest.
The ship had set off from Curacao, an island near Venezuela, and entered Irish territorial waters on September 23, 2023. But thanks to information received from the DEA and monitoring by the Garda Síochána, the drug trafficking was successfully stopped.
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