The leader of one of the world’s most violent drug cartels would likely have revealed his movements by publishing a series of restaurant reviews from around the world.
Christy “the Dapper Don” Kinahan Sr. , founder of the infamous Irish Kinahan mafia family, has spent the past five years giving her opinion on dozens of institutions around the world, adding Barcelona, Madrid and the Costa del Sol.
Through some two hundred Google reviews, the “Level 7 Local Guide” provided thoughtful, useful (and mundane) recommendations on a variety of restaurants and hotels, for tourists and business travelers alike.
This is according to research by open-source researchers Bellingcat and the Irish newspaper Sunday Times, which linked an email address known to belong to Kinahan Sr to a Google account.
READ MORE: Irish ‘crime lord’ Daniel Kinahan has been charged with the murder of Gerry ‘the monk’ brother Hutch in. . .
They then had to identify the elusive “The Dapper Don,” supposedly nicknamed for his impeccable dress sense, thanks to the photographs he posted to accompany his reviews.
Although he never posted selfies or posed for photographs, he can be identified in his reflections or even in photographs posted by other critics or at the restaurant in question.
The mundane nature of his denunciation is a far cry from the bloody gang war between the Kinahan gang and the rival Hutch family that saw multiple murders on the Costa del Sol.
The fallout forced Kinahan Sr. and his two sons, Daniel and Christopher Junior, to flee to the United Arab Emirates years ago.
The UAE has signed some extradition treaties with Spain or the United States, and the Emirati government has opted to let the Kinahans live freely.
Since then, the trio has been hiding from the long arm of American law enforcement while enjoying life in Dubai, where they would continue to run their narco-empire.
But it seemed they were at least keeping a low profile after seeing a €15 million bounty on their collective heads in April 2022.
READ MORE: Alleged ‘trusted member’ of Irish Kinahan cartel extradited from Spain to Britain to face weapons charges
So it came as a surprise to many that the fugitive mob boss was still able to enjoy the jet-set lifestyle, embarking on a series of trips abroad that coincided with his alleged criminal activities.
They travel to South Africa and Zimbabwe, supposedly to buy gold so they can launder the drug proceeds in Dubai.
Since 2019, Kinahan Sr. , under the pseudonym “Christopher Vincent,” has published reviews of destinations as far afield as Hungary, Turkey, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, Egypt, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.
Prior to those trips, he had made Marbella and the Costa del Sol the headquarters of his multi-billion euro arms and drug trafficking empire.
His gang has even partnered with the Iranian regime to evade foreign sanctions as part of its efforts to launder the proceeds of crime.
Extensive research shows that Kinahan Sr. was active in Spain just two years ago, just as he was being sanctioned through the U. S. Treasury and his assets abroad were frozen.
READ MORE: Spain is Europe’s cocaine screening gateway for kinahans and new European ‘super cartels’, says Europol conference
During his numerous reviews, he has been a generous critic, doling out four- and five-star reviews to most of the institutions he has attended.
The crime lord also gave useful clues to other visitors when he deemed it necessary, warning travelers that in 2021 taxi drivers were unaware of the call for the construction that housed the Hyatt Regency in Barcelona.
Despite these reviews, he described the hotel as “very clean” and the rooms as “well designed and comfortable. “
“However, the location (in my opinion) is more suitable for global business than tourists (although I would stay here for a sightseeing holiday as I think it offers amenities at a moderate price). “
A hotel worker, unbeknownst to him, thanked the mobster for his comments and pledged to “follow up on the issue of the call with the local taxi corporations for our visitors to locate the hotel. “
The “lively” Cheri restaurant in Barcelona has been praised for its “good” atmosphere when it comes to “enjoying the company of friends or family”.
“Please on weekends if you want to have a table indoors or outdoors,” he gently advises.
But most of their complaint in Spain lies on the Costa del Sol, between Estepona and Marbella, which the Kinahan family terrorized in the mid-2000s.
Tricky Ricky’s is an “old English-style café in Guadalmina” with a “friendly and professional” staff.
Waiters at Asador Tehuelche Grill Argentino can breathe easy after Kinahan Sr. described them as “friendly, efficient and helpful” and the service was “very good. “
“I give this status quo a resounding 5-star rating, without having the slightest idea or hesitation,” he said.
But officials at the Lancet Labs’ Covid testing centre in Johannesburg would possibly have to watch their backs: Kinahan Sr. has spared them his greatest anger.
In a speech of about 400 words, he harshly criticized the company’s control for “still doing nothing and despising” its customers.
I was disappointed by the lack of tables or services to fill out paperwork; Eventually he had to go back to his car and write on the hood.
“The girl who gave the impression of being the director seemed less interested in the injustice of it all than in why I took the photographs.
“I give this testing center a terrible one-star rating,” he said, “mainly because of the contempt with which control shepherds us like sheep. “