One of the world’s most wanted men, a notorious narco kingpin whose gang is implicated in multiple murders, has left a trail of Google reviews providing valuable new insights into his movements and whereabouts over the past five years.
Christopher Kinahan Sr is the head of the notorious Kinahan Organised Crime Group, which originated in Ireland and is otherwise known as the Kinahan Cartel. Irish police believe the gang has amassed profits of over $1 billion through the trade of illegal narcotics, arms trafficking and money laundering over the years.
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This story was reported and investigated with The Sunday Times. Their version is a bit more of a casual read without all the dirty investigative deets.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
One of the world’s most wanted men, a notorious narco kingpin whose gang is implicated in multiple murders, has left a trail of Google reviews providing valuable new insights into his movements and whereabouts over the past five years.
Kinahan Sr also described going on business trips to Turkey, where he commented that his stay at the Crowne Plaza Florya Istanbul was “convenient to near by [sic] Ataturk Airport.” He also added that one staff member who served him in the restaurant deserved a “shout out” as he was “extremely, helpful, polite and professional.”
In October 2019, Kinahan Sr attended the Global Humanitarian Aviation Conference (GHAC), held by the UN’s World Food Program (WFP) at the Steigenberger Alcazar hotel in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt.
In 2023, The Sunday Times reported that the Kinahan cartel had sought to buy gold in Zimbabwe, transiting it through South Africa onwards towards Dubai, to help launder the gang’s drug profits.
In a nod towards Kinahan Sr enjoying the more luxurious things in life, a 2021 review describes a trip to a Rolex store in Dubai where a helpful assistant provided “a short term fix” to an issue he had.
As well as the geographic clues and visual evidence of Kinahan Sr’s reflection appearing in mirrors and windows in other posts, it was also possible to gather further details about the owner of the Google reviews profile by looking at an email address attached to it.
The original article contains 2,542 words, the summary contains 241 words. Saved 91%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
he commented that his stay at the Crowne Plaza Florya Istanbul was “convenient to near by [sic] Ataturk Airport.” He also added that one staff member who served him in the restaurant deserved a “shout out” as he was “extremely, helpful, polite and professional.”
I always thought people leaving good public reviews were good people.
Then again, I’d also assume that crime kingpins would be smart enough not to point to their locations publicly…maybe he’s leaving a review for a place he visited ages ago? But he should definitely have Google’s location tracking turned off…
