Crime World

Kinahan Cartel second in command Sean McGovern has been lifted by police in an early morning raid in Dubai.McGovern wanted here for the murder of Noel Duck Egg Kirwan is Daniel Kinahan’s number two and closest confident.So what does this development mean in the global takedown of the Kinahan Cartel, is it a step closer to Kinahan’s own arrest and when will McGovern be back on Irish soil. Today I’m talking with Niall Donald about politics, crime and a Cartel under pressure.

***This episode was originally published in January 2024***The clock is ticking on murder accused Sean McGovern’s freedom in the United Arab Emirates as the Irish Government and Gardai move in for the next step in the takedown of the Kinahan Cartel.McGovern was named during sanctions in April 2022 but has remained at large in Dubai despite a warrant for his arrest.Nicola speaks with Niall Donald about McGovern and his significance as the chief advisor to Daniel Kinahan and a man who took on a role to decide who lived and who died during the brutal Hutch Kinahan feud.

The incredible story around the downfall of billionaire celebrity P Diddy has mirrored the tsunami of allegations made against famous men like Harvey Weinstein and Jeffrey Epstein.Jailed in Brooklyn, refused bail and facing a wave of lawsuits and three felony charges the one-time rapper, who had the Midas touch, is now in the spotlight for allegations of rape, coercion and running a criminal enterprise revolving around sex trafficking, forced drugging and recording his own personal pornography in a debauched theatre built on power and wealth.Nicola speaks to author and journalist Douglas Century about the rise and fall of Sean Combs.

Gardai are investigating the murder of an inmate at Cloverhill Prison last weekend after horse and carriage driver Martin Salinger was stabbed to death with a makeshift shiv in his cell.Nicola speaks with Niall Donald about murder behind bars and the Garda focus on a chief suspect.

An 18-year-old has pleaded guilty to his role in the murder of gunman Tristan Sherry who was killed after he shot a man on Christmas Eve last in a crowded steakhouse.Juares Kumbu was due to go on trial with six others at the Special Criminal Court but admitted to removing the submachine gun Sherry had used to murder gang boss Jason Hennessy instead.Nicola speaks with Niall Donald about the Browne’s Steakhouse case and the other trials expected to go ahead before the end of this year.

The whereabouts of the illusive criminal John ‘The Colonel’ Cunningham, the rivalries between crime journalists and the peculiar collection of curiosities in the newsroom.These are just some of the topics Nicola and Niall discuss in their latest Q and A session.

Liverpool gangster Sam Walker became a Tik Tok star after clocking up more than 140 convictions for crime but now he’s visiting Dublin where he claims he has been relieved of 50 diamonds by Irish Gardai.Walker who live streams videos of his adventures from Sierra Leone to the streets of the capital was arrested during his visit and brought to court on driving offences. Now he claims his personal diamond collection is in the custody of the Gardai.So who is Walker and how does he represent the increasingly blurred lines between celebrity and gangster? Nicola speaks to Niall Donald about the social media star.

A Sinn Fein press officer under investigation for child sex offences, job references written for a new job in a charity despite the police probe, and a political scandal that has now punched into the heart of the close-knit and secretive party.Nicola speaks to journalist Ciaran O’Neill who broke the extraordinary story around sex offender Michael McMonagle and his two former colleagues who wrote references for his new job.