Hundreds of boxing individuals banned from entering US due to Kinahan crime group connection

The United States has banned more than 600 individuals with connections to the recently sanctioned Kinahan organized crime group from entering the country. Assistant…

By: Karim Zidan | 1 year ago
Hundreds of boxing individuals banned from entering US due to Kinahan crime group connection
Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

The United States has banned more than 600 individuals with connections to the recently sanctioned Kinahan organized crime group from entering the country.

Assistant Garda Commissioner John O’Driscoll revealed the figure during a recent trip to Washington DC, adding that the bans primarily targeted individuals and businesses associated with the world of professional boxing.

“We’re satisfied that the people concerned who are involved in criminality associated with that organised crime group will be denied entry into other jurisdictions, if they were to try and gain entry,” said Assistant Commissioner O’Driscoll. “What has been displayed as a consequence of the sanctioning is the connection between the Kinahan organized crime group and, for example, sport – and businesses associated with boxing in particular. And its connections with the US are a particular focus of the US authorities.

“Of course, we’ve seen the wide range of other companies associated with those that are sanctioned. And anyone who has any part to play in any of those companies will be prevented from entering the US.”

The wave of travel bans comes less than a month after the United States government announced a crackdown on Daniel Kinahan, the alleged crime lord at the helm of Ireland’s most notorious organized crime group who is also a prominent figure in the world of combat sports. The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated the Kinahan Organized Crime Group along with several of its key members, including Kinahan himself.

The U.S. Department of State also offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to Kinahan’s arrest and conviction.

The assistant commissioner later told RTE news that he expects other countries to introduce their own travel bans in the near future.

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About the author
Karim Zidan
Karim Zidan

Karim Zidan is a investigative reporter and feature writer focusing on the intersection of sports and politics. He has written for BloodyElbow since 2014 and has served as an associate editor since 2016. He also writes for The New York Times and The Guardian. Karim has been invited to speak about his work at numerous universities, including Princeton, and was a panelist at the South by Southwest (SXSW) film festival and the Oslo Freedom Forum. He also participated in the United Nations counter-terrorism conference in 2021. His reporting on Ramzan Kadyrov’s involvement in MMA, much of which was done for Bloody Elbow, has led to numerous award nominations, and was the basis of an award-winning HBO Real Sports documentary.

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