American boxing promoter Bob Arum has said he will not be doing business with Daniel Kinahan unless something “dramatically changes” as he had no alternative but to abide by the directions of the US government.
“I can’t deal with him in the future because of the position of my government,” he told Newstalk Breakfast.
Mr Arum, who is heavyweight champion Tyson Fury’s co-promoter, said he will cut all ties with Mr Kinahan and declined to talk about his personal dealings with him.
The United States on Tuesday offered a reward of up to $15 million for information that leads to the arrest or conviction of three senior members of the Kinahan cartel - Daniel Kinahan, Christopher Jnr and Christopher Snr.
Seven of the cartel’s key figures – six of whom are based in Dubai – and three companies linked to them have so far been placed on a US Department of the Treasury sanctions list. It means they are effectively locked out of the US banking system and cannot trade with people or companies in the US.
At a media event in Dublin, senior police officers from Ireland, the US and Britain – and the US ambassador to Ireland Claire Cronin – named the Kinahan cartel and its three leaders as major players in global organised crime, specifically drugs trafficking and gun crime.
When asked if he was shocked about the sanctions and reward offered by the US government, Mr Arum said he was not shocked but was surprised as he was not aware that the US was “involved in that activity - so it really surprised me” as there had been “no inkling”.
While he had been aware of “accusations against Daniel Kinahan from the Irish side” through media reports, “I didn’t even contemplate that the US would be involved”.
‘Honourable man’
Mr Arum said that when his government made a statement like they did on Tuesday, as a law abiding citizen of the United States he had no alternative but to “abide by their determination”.
He said he no longer stood over comments he made on Newstalk in June 2020 in which described Daniel Kinahan as “an honourable man”.
Mr Arum said he had not spoken with Daniel Kinahan in a number of months.
“It’s at least two months and it might be three - we haven’t communicated,” he said. “Unless something obviously dramatically changes, which I can’t foresee, I will not do business with Kinahan based on these assertions by my government.”
Mr Arum added that Daniel Kinahan had tried to become involved in Fury’s upcoming fight but that he had instead partnered with Frank Warren.
“We didn’t want Kinahan to be involved. He tried through Frank to be involved. We wouldn’t allow that, but it was nothing to do with this,” he said.
“I don’t believe that someone involved in the trafficking of drugs should be involved in promoting boxing or with my company.”