Gardai have dealt another hammer blow to Daniel Kinahan’s mob after detectives seized millions of euro worth of cash and drugs - including cocaine hidden in champagne.
And officers even dived into the Liffey as part of the investigation – to swim after three suspects who tried to escape a Garda dragnet by jumping into the famous river.
Detectives were last night questioning seven suspects over the seizures of cannabis, cocaine and cash – which they believe are linked to Kinahan, who is reeling from a massive worldwide crackdown on his gang.
“This will ruin his day,” a source said last night.
“He has been under pressure for months now and this will devastate him.”
The seizures were made in Dublin on Wednesday and yesterday – and included suspected cocaine that had been infused into champagne and wine.
The bizarre find was made on Wednesday when detectives from the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau raided a house in Beaumont, north Dublin.
Gardai said they found a number of suspicious bottles at the house and when they were examined they were found to contain wine and champagne that had been infused with suspected cocaine.
One man was arrested at the scene and he was being held at the nearby Ballymun Garda Station last night.
Read more: CAB to serve court papers on Daniel Kinahan by registered post after discovering addresses
But a few hours after that raid, GNDOCB officers mounted another operation – and stopped a car connected to the Kinahan cartel on the M50 motorway on the outskirts of Dublin.
Three men fled from the car as it was stopped and dived into the nearby River Liffey in a desperate attempt to get away from gardai, but officers jumped in after them and managed to catch two of the suspects.
Other detectives on the team also searched properties in nearby Palmerstown and in central Dublin – and found drugs and cash worth more than €2 million.
Three men were arrested during the searches and were brought to Garda stations along with the two suspects fished out of the Liffey.
Gardai then spent a day hunting the sixth gang member who escaped them down the river and made their move against him yesterday.
That meant seven people were in custody last night over the two operations – and one of them was a serious criminal connected to the cartel led by Daniel Kinahan (44).
Read more: Kinahans stuck in Dubai and can't escape, gardai say
It’s understood that man, who was previously charged over a major drugs seizure, had only recently returned to his native Dublin from England.
Gardai suspect he used associates from north inner city Dublin for the Kinahan operation – but several foreign nationals were also detained as part of the major garda probe.
All six suspects for the Palmerstown incident were being held in Garda stations around Dublin last night and can be held for up to a week.
Read more: Secret wife of crime lord Christy Kinahan has died
And late last night, gardai said the man held over the Beaumont seizure was charged and will appear in court in Dublin later today.
Assistant Commissioner John O’Driscoll, who is in charge of the Garda fight against the Kinahan mob and other major gangs, yesterday said the two-day operation was significant – and a new drugs trafficking route had been uncovered.
He said: “The outcome of operational activity undertaken by the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, supported by a number of other specialised units within the Garda Síochána, over the past twenty-four hours, is very significant and reflects exceptional policing skills along with dedication and bravery on the part of the personnel involved.
Read more: Kinahan gang boss Liam Byrne's son gets slap on the wrist for car smash
“Arising from the global aspect of the drug supply networks that deliver drugs to cities and towns in Ireland, Northern Ireland, the UK and elsewhere in Europe, the Garda Síochána has forged particularly strong and productive relationships with law enforcement entities in many countries across a number of continents.
“Again today the Garda Síochána and the people of Ireland reap the benefits of the Garda Síochána’s outreach at a global level.
“Large quantities of drugs have been seized, along with a significant quantity of money suspected to be proceeds of drug trafficking. Persons believed to operate at a significant level within the world of organised crime have been identified and arrested.
“A drug trafficking route has been identified and disrupted and a new method of concealing controlled substances has been identified and exposed”.
The operation comes as Daniel Kinahan remains isolated in his Dubai bolthole – after US authorities put a $5 million bounty on his head.
Read more: $5 million bounty put on Kinahan family's heads as US steps up sanctions
The Americans also put a similar reward out for his father Christy (64) and his brother Christopher (41) – the two other leaders of the cartel.
The Kinahans can now not fly on any American-registered planes and their assets have been frozen.
Four close associates were also hit with similar sanctions – but some 600
people, many of whom have no involvement in crime, were also placed on a no-fly list to America because of past relationships with Kinahan.
That list includes boxer Tyson Fury - who was sensationally barred from entering America last Friday as he tried to board a plane from Manchester to New York.
Mr Fury (33) has no links to criminality - but was a former pal of Kinahan from the mobster’s involvement in boxing.
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