Kinahan has been held in the UAE since April last year, when he was arrested under an Irish court warrant. His extradition follows years of investigation into his alleged involvement in organised crime by the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau.
The final stage of the operation began on Sunday morning when an Air Corps aircraft carrying Kinahan left Al Maktoum International Airport at approximately 10.30am Irish time.
The Government aircraft is due to land at Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel, Co Dublin, at around 7pm. A Defence Forces flight carrying a team of gardaí travelled to Dubai on Saturday and members of the Gardaí are accompanying Kinahan on his return.
Once the aircraft lands, Kinahan is expected to be arrested and brought before the Special Criminal Court.
His arrival has led to extensive security preparations involving armed gardaí, the Defence Forces and the Irish Prison Service.
The prison service has recently acquired a specialist escort vehicle protected against both ballistic threats and explosives. It is intended for the transportation of prisoners regarded as presenting a high security risk, including alleged gang leaders, terrorists and other dangerous offenders.
Portlaoise Prison has also been upgraded as part of the preparations. Kinahan is expected to be held at the maximum-security facility following his appearance before the courts.
The operation marks the culmination of a lengthy investigation and extradition process involving Irish and Emirati authorities.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said he had confidence in the State's ability to deal with the security operation and praised An Garda Síochána, Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly, Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan and former justice ministers for their efforts against organised crime.
Mr Martin also acknowledged the cooperation provided by the UAE, saying its authorities had worked closely with Ireland in this area over recent years.
Foreign Affairs Minister Helen McEntee described the extradition as the outcome of years of work by Gardaí, government departments and officials to ensure suspects in serious and organised crime cases cannot evade the Irish justice system.
She highlighted the contributions of the late John O'Driscoll and former Garda Commissioner Drew Harris, particularly in relation to tackling organised crime and developing international law-enforcement partnerships.
Ms McEntee said she had witnessed the extensive efforts involved while serving as Justice Minister, including work by the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Department of Justice, the Department of Foreign Affairs, the UAE government and other agencies.
The process has also followed the signing of the Ireland-UAE extradition treaty in October 2024, which helped establish the framework for bringing Kinahan back to face proceedings in Ireland.
