International drug kingpin Daniel Kinahan has been arrested in the United Arab Emirates, the government of Dubai announced today.

Kinahan is a leader of the Kinahan cartel, which has been involved in cocaine and heroin trafficking and linked to at least 20 murders across Europe. His detention came after an Irish court issued an arrest warrant tied to his alleged role in an international organized crime network.

Kinahan was arrested on April 15 under the terms of an extradition agreement between Ireland and the United Arab Emirates. Irish police said in a statement that the arrest “is another extremely important demonstration of the need for international law enforcement co-operation in tackling transnational organised crime.”

Kinahan, who is in his 40s, moved to Dubai after he was the target of an infamous 2016 assassination attempt at Dublin’s Regency Hotel. His presence in Dubai had long allowed him to evade U.S. and European law enforcement. He and his wife, Caoimhe Robinson, built a multimillion-dollar property portfolio in the Gulf emirate, ICIJ reported in 2024. They maintained some of these properties, which included a sprawling villa, even after Kinahan was hit with U.S. sanctions in 2022 for drug smuggling and money laundering.

https://www.icij.org/inside-icij/2025/03/drug-kingpin-daniel-kinahan-was-paid-millions-of-dollars-under-the-table-to-be-top-promoters-exclusive-agent-court-complaint-alleges/

KINAHAN CARTEL Drug kingpin Daniel Kinahan was paid millions ‘under the table’ to be boxing promoter’s exclusive agent, court complaint alleges Mar 05, 2025

https://www.icij.org/news/2024/05/dubai-property-portfolio-calls-into-question-effectiveness-of-sanctions-on-kinahan-cartel-leader-experts-say/

CRIME CARTEL Dubai property portfolio calls into question effectiveness of sanctions on Kinahan cartel leader, experts say May 14, 2024

https://www.icij.org/inside-icij/2022/04/how-a-ruthless-irish-gang-found-a-home-away-from-home-in-dubai-and-an-enemy-in-the-white-house/

Dubai How a ruthless Irish gang found a home away from home in Dubai and an enemy in the White House Apr 23, 2022

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Merck & Co.’s blockbuster cancer drug Keytruda has risen in price to $210,000 for one year’s treatment under President Donald Trump — a 6% increase since last year, a new Senate report found.

The pharmaceutical giant is among more than a dozen companies that signed confidential deals with the Trump administration to lower the prices of some prescription drugs. However, Keytruda, an immunotherapy treatment that accounts for nearly half of Merck’s revenue, has only become more expensive.

In March, Merck’s CEO Robert M. Davis declined to answer questions from ICIJ about the deal, including whether it mentioned Keytruda or if the medicine had been excluded from consideration for lower prices in the United States.

“We cannot disclose the details of this confidential agreement,” Merck said in a statement to ICIJ sent by senior vice president Johanna Herrmann. “However, the agreement overall has a manageable impact in the short- and long-term on our business and is immaterial across the KEYTRUDA family.”

The Food and Drug Administration has approved Keytruda to treat 19 types of tumors in the U.S. But its cost can be ruinous.

The Cancer Calculus, an investigation by ICIJ and 47 media partners published this week, shows how Merck has kept the price of the lifesaving drug sky-high by building a fortress of patents to deter competition and through opaque pricing. An ICIJ analysis found that a standard 200 milligram dose of Keytruda ranged from $1,700 in Indonesia to $12,000 in the U.S., before negotiations and manufacturer rebates.

https://www.icij.org/investigations/cancer-calculus/merck-keytruda-cancer-drug-price/

OVERVIEW How Merck turned its wonder drug into a blockbuster — and priced out cancer patients worldwide Apr 13, 2026

https://www.icij.org/investigations/cancer-calculus/cancer-patients-legal-battle-keytruda-lifesaving-drug/

INSURERS ‘They deny the medication that is keeping you alive’: Patients wage grueling legal battles for lifesaving cancer drug Apr 13, 2026

https://www.icij.org/investigations/cancer-calculus/about-keytruda-cancer-calculus/

Behind the scenes About the Cancer Calculus investigation Apr 13, 2026

Recommended reading OVERVIEW How Merck turned its wonder drug into a blockbuster — and priced out cancer patients worldwide Apr 13, 2026 INSURERS ‘They deny the medication that is keeping you alive’: Patients wage grueling legal battles for lifesaving cancer drug Apr 13, 2026 Behind the scenes About the Cancer Calculus investigation Apr 13, 2026