Daniel Kinahan has been extradited from the UAE and is now remanded in custody at Portlaoise Prison in Ireland after being charged with leading a criminal organisation13:59, 10 Aug 2026Daniel Kinahan has set foot on Irish soil for the first time in a decade — and he is now having his first full day in an Irish jail where he has an entire landing to himself.‌The alleged crime boss, 49, was extradited from the United Arab Emirates before being immediately detained upon touching down at Baldonnel Airfield in Dublin. He was brought before the Special Criminal Court — Ireland's non-jury court that handles serious organised crime and terrorism cases — where he faced charges of heading a criminal organisation between October 2015 and April 2017.‌Dressed in a black tracksuit, Kinahan, who is originally from Dublin, was told that any bail applications would need to be made to the High Court. He replied: "I think we know I won't be getting bail — but thank you so much for explaining that."‌He has now been remanded in custody at Portlaoise Prison, with his next court appearance scheduled for October. Should he be convicted, he faces up to 30 years behind bars.So what exactly can Kinahan expect from life inside Ireland's only maximum security prison?‌Located in County Laois, roughly an hour's drive south-west of Dublin, Portlaoise Prison houses some of the Republic's most dangerous and high-profile inmates.The facility holds up to 226 prisoners and has long been the destination of choice for those convicted in connection with serious organised crime — including a number of Kinahan's own associates.Among them is Sean McGovern, widely described as Kinahan's right-hand man. McGovern was injured during the notorious Regency Hotel attack in Dublin in 2016 — a gangland shooting that triggered a bloody feud between the Kinahan cartel and the rival Hutch gang, leaving more than a dozen people dead.‌McGovern, who Kinahan will not be able to interact with, was the first person to be extradited to Ireland from the UAE in connection with the investigation, and pleaded guilty to directing a criminal organisation. He is currently serving his sentence at Portlaoise.Kinahan, however, will not be rubbing shoulders with his former associates in the usual sense.‌According to reports, a wing that typically houses eight prisoners has been cleared specifically for him. The Irish Mirror say he is on suicide watch and is being monitored 24 hours a day on a landing where he is completely separated from all other prisoners in the jail.He is expected to spend up to 20 hours a day confined to his cell.According to reports, he is now on suicide watch and will have to be watched 24 hours a day, and while he is secluded from other inmates, he will have a TV and access to things like Netflix.‌Outside his cell, the prison has struggled with serious problems that will make for uncomfortable reading for anyone heading through its gates.In December, criminologist John Cuffee, who previously worked at the facility, warned that drugs remain a persistent problem.He told Midlands 103 radio: "A lot of prisoners want to get cured. They want their drug problems put behind them — they will do their best. If we can't keep drugs out of the country and out of your nightclub, your local pub, it is going to manifest in prisons. But it is an ongoing battle, and it is a battle prison staff will face and deal with as it comes up."‌Drug seizures at Portlaoise did fall in 2024, with 22 reported incidents — a 55% drop from the 48 recorded the previous year, according to the Irish Penal Reform Trust.But staff have raised concerns about the methods being used to get contraband inside. Prison officers warned last year that drones were being used to deliver drugs, mobile phones and weapons directly into the jail, with fears that firearms could be among the cargo.‌Gabriel Keavney, deputy general secretary of the Prison Officer's Association, said: "There have been over 100 drone deliveries since the beginning of the year. We know there's drugs, we know there's phones, but we're very concerned they may also contain firearms. There's huge concerns for our members."The authorities have attempted to tackle the problem. Justice minister Jim O'Callaghan announced that wire netting around the prison was being upgraded to steel netting to disrupt drone drops.‌But Keavney said smugglers had already adapted: "What they've done since the steel netting was installed in Portlaoise, they delivered directly to the prison through the ventilation system — so it's impossible to net the entire prison."The scale of the problem was thrown into sharp relief in 2024 when ten inmates were rushed to hospital after a mass overdose involving a white powder believed to be a synthetic drug that had been smuggled into the facility, leaving several people in a critical condition.A Prison Officers Association spokesperson said at the time: "Unfortunately we have been saying for some time that the prisons are awash with drugs and no action has been taken by management."‌The Irish Prison Service insisted that tackling contraband remained a top priority, saying it had invested in new technology, increased cell searches and was working closely with the Garda Siochana — Ireland's national police force — at both local and national level to prevent items being smuggled in.Violence has also been a recurring theme at the prison. In early 2023, a drink-fuelled New Year's celebration on one of the landings descended into a brawl.‌Among those said to be involved was Aaron Brady, who was convicted in Ireland in 2020 of the murder of Garda detective Joe Fox — a case that drew significant attention in both Ireland and the UK. Brady was reportedly facing sanctions that would have seen his privileges — including access to the prison shop, phone calls and visits — curtailed as a result.One of the more surreal episodes in the prison's history came in 2007, when armed robber John Daly managed to call into Liveline — a popular daytime phone-in show on Ireland's national broadcaster RTE — using a smuggled mobile phone.The stunt caused considerable embarrassment and triggered searches that turned up more than 1,000 contraband items across the cells. Daly was transferred to other prisons before eventually being released — though he was fatally shot later that same year while travelling in a taxi in the Dublin suburb of Finglas.Article continues belowFor Kinahan, the contrast with life in Dubai — where he was understood to have enjoyed luxury properties, access to the boxing world and the trappings of serious wealth — could hardly be more stark.In 2024, Portlaoise Prison grabbed headlines not just across Ireland, but in the UK as well, after 10 individuals were rushed to hospital following a mass "synthetic drug" overdose. The white powder was believed to have been smuggled into the prison, leaving several people in critical condition.The Irish Prison Service stated that preventing drugs from entering prison was a top priority, adding in a lengthy statement: "The Irish Prison Service has committed to continuing to invest in new technologies and measures to support our efforts to keep contraband out of prisons.