Seán McGovern’s 24 year sentence for his involvement in the Kinahan Organised Crime Group sends a “huge message” to criminals, a former Garda Commissioner has said.
Yesterday, the Special Criminal Court directed that the 40 year old spend the next quarter of a century behind bars.
The father of two pleaded guilty to directing the activities of the criminal gang, as well as overseeing the murder of innocent grandfather Noel Kirwan as part of the Hutch-Kinahan feud.
He will likely be imprisoned along with many of his former cartel colleagues in Portlaoise.
On Newstalk Breakfast, former Garda Commissioner Michael O’Sullivan described Seán McGovern as “Daniel Kinahan’s right hand man” and “up there in the inner circle”.
“The 24-year sentence is huge,” he said.
“It is two sentences running concurrently and that sends a huge message as well.
“That's a huge chunk of your life - even if he gets a third off, it's a huge chunk.
“While it's not a life sentence as such, it is sufficient to remove you from society and it's a different world when you eventually get out as a much older man.”
Armed police on duty outside the Special Criminal Court in Dublin. Picture by: PA Images / Alamy. Despite this, Mr O’Sullivan warned that organised crime remains a feature of Irish life and that while there has been a reduction in the number of gangland shootings, cocaine has become a “huge problem”.
“What's fueling that cocaine problem is the amount of money that's around the disposable income in the country,” he said.
“Now, what's happening is criminals, who heretofore wouldn't be very high up the scale are getting higher up the scale because they're making more and more money, they're buying more guns, they're buying property.
“They have financially been able to go abroad and to hide out from law enforcement and they're building little empires.
“So, we have a more resourced criminal underworld, certainly better financed, better equipped and much more violent.”
Currently, McGovern’s former colleague Daniel Kinahan remains detained in a Dubai jail, awaiting extradition to Ireland for trial.
Given the Kinahan Organised Crime Group role in the international drugs trade, it will be an event that will bring global attention to Ireland.
Main image: Seán McGovern. Picture by: An Garda Síochána.
