Byrne Family In Crime: Inside the Kinahan Cartel’s Dublin Operation

The Byrne family in crime refers to the Crumlin based Byrne Organised Crime Group, the Dublin arm of the Kinahan cartel. Led for over two decades by Liam Byrne, the group trafficked drugs and firearms across Ireland, Britain, Spain and Dubai. Liam’s late father James and his late brother David are central figures in its history and in the Kinahan Hutch feud that followed.

As of August 2026, the story has taken its biggest turn yet: cartel boss Daniel Kinahan has been extradited to Ireland to stand trial, and gardaí are watching closely to see what it means for the Byrne family’s future in organised crime.

How Did The Byrne Family Join The Kinahan Cartel?

The Byrne family joined the Kinahan cartel through a childhood friendship between Liam Byrne and Daniel Kinahan in Dublin. Christy Kinahan Snr founded the group in the late 1990s, having built a background in fraud and robbery from the 1970s onward. After David Byrne’s murder in 2016, Christy left Spain for Dubai, and day to day control passed to his son Daniel. Gardaí estimate the cartel’s wealth at more than €1 billion, drawn mainly from drug trafficking, with its members buying property across Europe, South America and the Middle East. The Byrne group became the cartel’s Dublin operation, and courts later found it responsible for extensive drug and firearms trafficking within Ireland.

Who Are The Key Byrne Family Members In Organised Crime?

The core Byrne family figures are Liam Byrne, its leader, also known as Bugsy, his late father James “Jaws” Byrne, his late brother David Byrne, his mother Sadie Byrne (born Roe), and his sister Maria Byrne, whose name appeared on several of the group’s properties and companies. His cousin Liam Roe and his brother in law Thomas Kavanagh, who ran the cartel’s UK end, were also senior figures. The High Court named eleven people connected to the group when the Criminal Assets Bureau pursued its assets, showing how deeply the family’s business and personal lives were intertwined with the gang’s operations.

What Happened To David Byrne?

David Byrne was shot dead at the Regency Hotel in Dublin on 5 February 2016, aged 34, in an attack that triggered the Kinahan Hutch feud. The feud has since been linked to at least 18 murders. Gerard Hutch stood trial for David’s murder and was found not guilty by the Special Criminal Court in April 2023. The Byrne family said publicly that they felt they had not received justice. David’s killing remains the defining event in the family’s criminal history, reshaping the cartel’s structure and pushing several senior figures, including his father, out of Ireland.

What Happened To James “Jaws” Byrne?

James Byrne died on 7 September 2024, aged 77, at Tallaght University Hospital after a long illness. Known as Jemmy or Jaws, he was once an associate of armed robber Martin Cahill, known as the General, and had his own history of fraud and counterfeiting. He was targeted twice by the Criminal Assets Bureau over unexplained wealth. Hundreds attended his funeral at St Catherine’s Church on Meath Street, where his grandson Lee Byrne spoke at length, since Liam Byrne could not attend as he was in a British prison awaiting sentencing at the time.

Where Is Liam Byrne Now?

Liam Byrne is currently free but living under close Garda and NCA monitoring. He was arrested in Mallorca in June 2023 and extradited from Spain to the UK that December to face firearms charges. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced at the Old Bailey in October 2024 to five years for conspiring with Thomas Kavanagh and others to plant a weapons cache in a bid to reduce Kavanagh’s sentence. Under UK remission rules, he was released early from Belmarsh Prison on 6 January 2025. He faces no charges in Ireland, though gardaí believe he may attempt to rebuild his position in organised crime.

What Assets Has CAB Seized From The Byrne Family?

The Criminal Assets Bureau seized more than €2 million in assets from the Byrne group under Operation Lamp. This included the family home at Raleigh Square, bought in Maria Byrne’s name, along with 25 luxury cars, three electric bikes, a dune buggy, watches and cash. Liam Byrne also lost a house in Clondalkin, bought using wage slips that did not match his tax returns. The case exposed a car dealership used purely to give gang members access to vehicles they never legally owned, along with a foreign fund used to disguise loans and launder money for the group.

What Happened To Daniel Kinahan?

Daniel Kinahan was extradited to Ireland from Dubai on 9 August 2026 and charged with directing a criminal organisation. He is being held in the high security Portlaoise Prison ahead of trial. The US named him in 2022 as one of three leaders of the Kinahan cartel and offered a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest, alongside sanctions on his father, brother and several associated businesses. He had been based in the United Arab Emirates for around a decade before his arrest there in April 2026. The US State Department has since updated his listing to “captured.”

Will The Byrne Family’s Role In Organised Crime Continue?

Gardaí believe the Byrne organised crime group has been largely dismantled, but they are not writing off the family’s influence. Many associates are dead, imprisoned or living abroad, and Daniel Kinahan’s extradition marks a serious blow to the wider cartel’s leadership in Dubai. Even so, Liam Byrne remains free and under surveillance, and his son Lee has been seen socialising with figures linked to the group. With Kinahan now facing trial in Dublin, the coming months are likely to shape whether the Byrne family’s legacy in Irish organised crime fades or finds a way to continue.