BELFAST boxer Michael Conlan said his “travel situation remains unchanged” after the US government moved to ban around 600 people with suspected ties to the Kinahan organised crime group from entering the country.
Assistant Garda Commissioner John O'Driscoll confirmed the latest round of sanctions targeting the gang after meeting with officials at Customs and Border Protection in Washington DC.
The senior garda said the US authorities had focused on the connections between the Kinahan crime group and boxing.
A co-ordinated drive by law enforcement agencies on both sides of the Atlantic last month led to the US Treasury announcing a $5 million reward for information leading to the arrests of the three most senior members of the cartel: Daniel Kinahan, his father Christopher Snr, and brother Christopher Jnr.
Daniel Kinahan, who has been named in the High Court in Dublin as the controller and manager of the Kinahan gang, has strong ties to the world of boxing.
MTK Global, the boxing company he set up with ex-pro Matthew Macklin, became a major force in the sport, signing up a long list of high profile boxers including Michael Conlan, Carl Frampton, Paddy Barnes and Tyson Fury.
Macklin, now a Sky Sports pundit, was barred from trying to board a flight to Las Vegas at the end of April.
MTK Global claimed it severed all ties with Kinahan in 2017, but the company shut down last month in the wake of the US sanctions claiming it had faced "unprecedented levels of unfair scrutiny and criticism".
Kinahan remained active in boxing from his base in Dubai, taking on the role of adviser to a number of MTK boxers, with Tyson Fury publicly thanking him in 2020 for brokering an agreement to fight Anthony Joshua.
The list of the 600 names has not been made public, but Assistant Garda Commissioner O'Driscoll indicated more figures in the world of boxing face a similar fate to Macklin in the wake of the latest sanctions.
He told RTÉ: “What has been displayed as a consequence of the sanctioning is the connection between the Kinahan organised crime group and, for example, sport - and businesses associated with boxing in particular. And its connections with the US are a particular focus of the US authorities."
He also indicated the travel ban will be extended to other countries.
A spokesperson for Michael Conlan and his brother Jamie said yesterday their “travel situation remains unchanged”.
The Belfast boxer has moved to distance himself from Kinahan and MTK, setting up his own management company Conlan Boxing with his brother Jamie.
Jamie Conlan is a former vice president of MTK Global, while his trainer Adam Booth had also been on the MTK payroll until the company’s demise.
Michael Conlan had been listed by MTK Global as one of its fighters up until last month. He was also listed by UAE-based Hoopoe Sports as among its clients.
The sports management company was last month sanctioned by the US government.
In a statement last month, Conlan said he had "no links to MTK Global" and "no connection" to Hoopoe Sports.
Assistant Commissioner O’Driscoll told RTÉ that the latest sanctions also extend beyond the world of boxing.
"We've seen the wide range of other companies associated with those that are sanctioned. And anyone who has any part to play in any of those companies will be prevented from entering the US,” he said.
