by Josie Ensor, Chief US Reporter – The Times of London –  May 09 2026 – The Sunday Times

Corporations at the top of America’s $30bn trade are accused of false advertising — it could become their Big Tobacco moment

 

Heather Bacchus worried when her 15-year-old son started using marijuana. Randy Jr was a bright, precocious teenager doing well at his school in Minnesota, but like many children his age he experienced ADHD and anxiety.

He had turned to cannabis to quiet what Bacchus called his “overactive brain”. However, she noticed an almost immediate, worrying shift in his mood.

“He went from someone with all these goals, dreams and aspirations to suddenly withdrawing from sports and hiding in his room,” Bacchus said, speaking from the family home.

Her husband, Randy Sr, said: “As responsible parents, we did the research. Everything we read or looked at online just said marijuana was not a big deal — it was benign, harmless.” After Randy moved out and went to live by himself in Colorado, he started to have delusions, became paranoid and fell into a psychotic state. Randy would end up taking his own life aged 21.

The Bacchuses believe their son’s marijuana addiction played a role. “He was taking medical marijuana to relieve anxiety and depression, but in the end the same things that he thought it was helping him for were actually just being made worse.”

Last week they welcomed a landmark class-action lawsuit filed on Monday against three of the biggest cannabis companies in America for advertising their products as medicine capable of treating pain and a broad array of mental health disorders despite allegedly knowing that the science did not support their claims.

The suit is the first of its kind and has been likened by advocates who campaign against the drug to the legal reckoning faced by the tobacco industry in the late 1990s, which found that US tobacco companies had been deceptive. It led to restrictions around billboard advertising and commercials specifically targeting young people, and triggered anti-smoking campaigns, which led to a dramatic drop in the rates of smoking in the years that followed.

“I really think this could be a master settlement moment.” Kevin Sabet, a former White House drug policy adviser and president of the advocacy group Smart Approaches to Marijuana, told The Sunday Times. The tobacco master settlement agreement was the largest civil litigation settlement in US history and resulted in major companies agreeing to pay states $206 billion to cover smoking-related health costs.

Facing possible civil penalties and punitive damages into the billions, the stakes are high for the cannabis industry. If the plaintiffs are successful, it could spark a wave of similar action — threatening to bankrupt its biggest players.

The legal cannabis industry has boomed in the past decade, when states began legalising its recreational use — allowing it to evolve from a taboo, illicit market into a regulated, multibillion-dollar economy. In the US, it is now a $30 billion business, while the UK market is currently valued at around £233 million, the largest in Europe after Germany.

• Bereaved brother attacks ‘Wild West’ medical cannabis advertising

Medicinal marijuana shops are popping up all over the 40 US states where it is legal. The smell of weed fills the air of the streets of densely packed New York, where recreational use of the substance was legalised in 2021.

Since then, air-quality complaints to the council over the city’s unofficial scent have doubled. Even international tennis players visiting New York for last year’s US Open have joked about it: Alexander Zverev called Court 17 of the Queens venue “Snoop Dogg’s living room”, and Nick Kyrgios, an asthmatic, suggested it had affected his game.

In downtown Brooklyn, new dispensaries open every week. One named the Travel Agency aims at a high-income market, while another, Buzzy, appears from the outside little different to an ice cream store. They require customers to show a valid form of ID to prove they are over 21, however they are not asked for any doctor’s note or card proving the medical need for marijuana.

Lawyers acting for 42 consumers allege in the suit, filed in Illinois, that Cresco Labs, Green Thumb Industries and Verano Holding Corp falsely and deceptively promote hundreds of their products as “great for”, “aiding”, “treating” and “alleviating” pain, anxiety and insomnia, as well as a host of mental health disorders, including PTSD, schizophrenia and depression.

They claim the promotions and product descriptions provide no citation or basis for substantiating these claims, nor any explanation as to how the specific product being promoted uniquely or effectively treats medical disorders.

“They have been framing a dangerous drug as a wellness product,” said Sabet, who suggested it has been considered “uncool” to criticise the recreational use of cannabis or question claims of its medicinal properties. “Only now I think we are starting to see some cracks in this decades-long idea that you can’t question those claims,” he said.

Marijuana is used by some pregnant women for morning sickness, for example: however, a number of studies have warned it can affect foetal development, leading to behavioural problems among infants and toddlers later in life.

Patrick Kenneally, an attorney and former Illinois state prosecutor, said he decided to bring the case after seeing some of the effects cannabis was having on his constituents. “I have met with countless families whose lives, health and cognition have been seriously impaired or destroyed by cannabis use,” he said. Kenneally said he wanted companies to be required to warn customers about their products’ dangers to mental and physical health.

Cannabis products are now sold in a much wider variety of forms, from premade spliffs to gummies and lollipops, which anti-drug advocates say is done deliberately to appeal to the lucrative younger market.

Some are marketed as sleep aids, others make claims they can heighten creativity and focus. The complaint cites company blog posts featuring titles such as “Best Cannabis Strains for Anxiety & Stress”.

“Young people are seeing marijuana being sold in these kid-friendly products — the candies, the gummies, the elixirs — and they’re thinking how could this be bad for you?” Sabet said. “It’s normalising it in ways that go beyond what tobacco did. The industry at one point claimed cigarettes were good for the throat, but they never claimed to actually treat and cure diseases like the marijuana industry does.”

Edibles on sale today also have far greater concentrations of THC, the component of the plant that produces a high, than they did decades ago.

“The weed that was around when we were young is nowhere near the strength it is today,” said Randy Bacchus Sr, who, alongside his wife, has become an advocate for youth mental health and substance use prevention in the wake of their son’s death in 2021. “I think it disrupted the chemical balance of his brain at a really crucial time in his development,” he said of Randy Jr’s near-daily use from the age of 15.

Recent data from the National Institutes of Health found that nearly a quarter of college students reported to have had marijuana in the past 30 days, and nearly one in 12 college students were daily or near-daily users. A national survey in the UK found similar rates.

About 53 per cent of people who say they use cannabis for health reasons say they do so to relieve pain.

However, medical societies such as the International Association for the Study of Pain, recommend against cannabis as a go-to treatment, because the data is limited and there is a risk of side-effects, including dizziness and nausea.

After pain, anxiety is the most common medicinal reason consumers cite for using cannabis. The American Psychiatric Association opposes the medical use of cannabis saying there is insufficient evidence and a strong association between cannabis use and psychiatric disorders, especially among adolescents and young adults, like Randy.

A study published last year by the Washington State Institute for Public Policy found that states legalising recreational marijuana experienced a 12 per cent increase in the number of people admitted to state mental health facilities.

Lynn Silver, a senior advisor at the Public Health Institute, said the lawsuits were especially significant because they were going after major cannabis corporations.

“Like tobacco litigation before it, this legal strategy could help expose harmful industry practices, reveal internal corporate misconduct, and establish stronger accountability standards,” said Silver, who is director of Getting It Right from the Start. “Big Tobacco’s decades of deception were ultimately challenged through litigation that helped uncover the truth. These lawsuits may prove to be an equally important public health inflection point.”

A spokesman for Verano said in a statement that the suit “mirrors claims that have been rejected by courts in similar legal actions against multistate operators in the industry earlier this year”.

Officials from Cresco and Green Thumb said they did not comment on ongoing litigation.

• UK fights to keep stronger cannabis products after ‘Brexit reset’

The lawsuit comes at a time when federal regulation on marijuana is loosening, not tightening, however. Cannabis products are currently not required to disclose possible risk, as the drug is not regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Last month the Trump administration relaxed federal controls on medical marijuana, moving the product from a class of highly addictive drugs, such as heroin, to a category of lower-risk medicines, like prescription Tylenol. It is a change the cannabis industry had sought for years and that Trump endorsed during his 2024 campaign.

It will give those companies tax breaks and help fund research required for marijuana to gain approval from the FDA, which would make it legal to prescribe at the federal level.

For the Bacchuses, that is an alarming prospect. “If they want to call it a medical aid, then they need to start really treating it as a prescription with regular check-ups with a doctor to make sure it is actually working,” said Randy Sr. “I just want to say to parents: research these products, don’t just accept what the marketing tells you.”

Heather Bacchus said: “Our son was into working out, he was into his health, he wanted to be successful in life. I truly believe had he known the reality, how this would impact his brain, before he started using, then he’d probably still be here with us today.”

 

Source: www.drugwatch.org

From US White House – 04.05.2026

The White House released its National Drug Control Strategy, which, among other efforts, recommends effective primary prevention programs. The initiative increases the implementation of evidence-based prevention strategies; establishes new partnerships with organizations supporting youth health and expanding primary prevention; supports a national media and education campaign against drug use; and supports and enhances the federal drug-free workplace program.

Source: https://www.aha.org/news/headline/2026-05-06-white-house-announces-national-drug-control-strategy

Submitted by Maggie Petito on behalf of DrugWatch International – April 23, 2026

Article by Andrea Petersen – Wall Street Journal – April 23, 2026

Studies show the drug can exacerbate anxiety and teen use poses risks for developing brains

In many states, it is already easy to get marijuana. With the Trump administration’s move to reclassify the drug as less dangerous, it is about to get even easier. But doctors and researchers say marijuana can pose real risks to people’s health.

The major concerns for adults are addiction and mental-health problems, particularly anxiety. These risks have become more of an issue in recent years as products with high levels of THC, the main psychoactive component of cannabis, have become widely available and popular. 

Here is what we know about the health risks from marijuana use:

Higher potency

The weed that people smoked in decades past generally had about 3% to 5% THC. Now, many shops sell products that contain as much as 90% THC.
Dr. Jonathan Avery, vice chair for addiction psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medicine, says he’s seeing more people land in the emergency room after accidentally overdosing on high-potency THC products, particularly edibles, where people can underestimate how much they have taken. “You can feel panicky and paranoid. People come in worried that they’re dying,” he said.   

The drug is particularly dangerous for teens: Even low-level use is linked to an increased risk of developing psychiatric disorders and doing poorly in school. 

With recreational marijuana legal in 24 states and Washington, D.C., driving while high is on the rise, too. In some studies, using cannabis was found to double the risk of crashes.

Addiction and mental health

The cannabis industry is increasingly marketing its products for a range of health issues, including anxiety and depression, pain and sleep problems. Some companies also promote their products for general wellness, akin to a multivitamin. A growing number of people use cannabis every day. Now, more people use cannabis than alcohol daily. 

Among people who use marijuana daily, about 20% to 30% will develop cannabis use disorder, Avery said. The disorder is characterized by craving marijuana and being unable to cut down on use. “You need more to get the same effect and you feel off without it,” he said. 

While many people use cannabis to cope with anxiety, some scientific studies show that the drug makes anxiety worse. It is associated with increased odds of developing anxiety problems and with more severe symptoms in those with anxiety and mood disorders.

The teenage brain 

When it comes to marijuana, doctors and scientists tend to worry most about its impact on the developing brain. Research has found that adolescent cannabis use increases the risk of developing psychosis, bipolar disorder, depression and anxiety disorders. 

Regularly using cannabis during the teen years also is associated with disruption in memory and learning. One study found that frequent cannabis users who started taking it during adolescence lost several IQ points between the ages of 13 and 38. 

Even infrequent use among teens is associated with poorer academic performance.

Potential upsides to reclassification 

The reclassification will make it easier for researchers to conduct studies with marijuana. It is something the field badly needs, scientists say. 
“People are using these products anyway,” said Staci Gruber, director of the Marijuana Investigations for Neuroscientific Discovery (MIND) program at McLean Hospital in Massachusetts. “Wouldn’t it be better for us to be able to give them empirically sound data upon which to base their decisions for use or their decisions not to use?”

Source: www.drugwatch.org

by Professor Bernard Stewart, A/Prof. Sitas and Prof. Stewart – 28 April 2026

A comprehensive review led by cancer researchers at UNSW found vaping is likely to cause lung and oral cancer – even before long-term studies can confirm the exact risk.

Nicotine-based vapes, or e-cigarettes, are likely to cause cancers of the lung and oral cavity, say the authors of a new study, opens in a new window led by UNSW Sydney and published today in Carcinogenesis.

The study analysing a wide body of global research was led by UNSW cancer researcher Adjunct Professor Bernard Stewart AM, with investigators from The University of Queensland, Flinders University, The University of Sydney, as well as Royal North Shore, The Prince Charles and Sunshine Coast University hospitals.

The team brought together experts from multiple disciplines, including pharmacists, epidemiologists, thoracic surgeons and public health researchers. Together, they examined the evidence from different scientific perspectives.

 “To our knowledge, this review is the most definitive determination that those who vape are at increased risk of cancer compared to those who don’t,” Prof. Stewart says.

This assessment of carcinogenicity – or, cancer causation – review argues that while researchers have long focused on vaping as a gateway to smoking, less attention has been paid to whether the devices might cause cancer on their own.

It is one of the most detailed attempts yet to determine whether vaping itself may cause cancer, independent of tobacco smoking. The analysis draws together clinical studies, animal experiments and laboratory research examining the chemicals produced by e-cigarettes.

“Considering all the findings – from clinical monitoring, animal studies and mechanistic data – e-cigarettes are likely to cause lung cancer and oral cancer,” Prof. Stewart says.

He says though the consistency of findings across those disciplines was striking, the exact number of attributable cancer cases remains unclear.

“Our assessment is qualitative and does not involve a numerical estimate of cancer risk or burden. We’ll only be able to determine the precise risk once longer-term studies are available.”

Growing public health concerns

E-cigarettes were first sold in the early 2000s and became available in Australia around 2008. Early marketing framed them as a ‘safer’ alternative to tobacco cigarettes, as well as a possible aid for quitting smoking.

But the colourful, flavoured devices of today have spread quickly and widely, particularly among young people. Vaping is now a common sight outside schools, bars and train stations across Australia, despite the Australian government introducing new laws to regulate vapes in 2023. Disposable vapes and non-therapeutic vapes are banned, while therapeutic vapes can only be sold in pharmacies, and only to help people quit smoking.

“E-cigarettes are known to be a gateway to smoking and hence cancer,” says co-author UNSW Associate Professor Freddy Sitas.

“But the extent to which they may cause cancer in their own right has not received as much attention in research,” he says.

“The evidence was remarkably consistent across fields,” he says. “It dictated an unequivocal finding now, though human studies that estimate the risk will take decades to accumulate.”

A clear outcome

Smoking has been studied for more than a century. Though e-cigarettes are relatively new, inhaling nicotine-laced aerosols is already linked to addiction, poisoning, inhalation injuries and burns.

While researchers wait for long-term population studies showing whether people who vape are more likely to develop cancer, they must rely on multiple other forms of evidence.

The team identified numerous carcinogenic compounds in e-cigarette aerosols, including volatile organic chemicals and metals released from heating coils.

They examined several types of evidence: biomarkers in people showing DNA damage, oxidative stress and tissue inflammation; experiments in mice that caused lung tumours; and laboratory studies showing cellular damage and disrupted biological pathways linked to cancer.

Taken together, the researchers say the evidence points strongly in one direction.

A compounding problem

There is also growing evidence that many smokers who switch to vaping don’t quit cigarettes.

“Most of those who use e-cigarettes to quit smoking end up in ‘dual-use-limbo’, unable to shake off either habit,” says A/Prof. Sitas.

“What we do know from recent epidemiological evidence from the USA is that those who both vape and smoke are at an additional four-fold increased risk of developing lung cancer.”

This was described in commentary, opens in a new window also published today by A/Prof. Sitas and Prof. Stewart in Cancer Epidemiology.

History repeating

A/Prof. Sitas and Prof. Stewart traced parallels between the early scientific evidence linking smoking to disease and emerging concerns about vaping.

It took nearly a century of scientific investigation – from the mid-1800s to the landmark US Surgeon General’s report, opens in a new window in 1964 – before smoking was officially recognised as a cause of lung cancer.

During that time, early warning signs were often dismissed or overlooked.

“Early reports linked smoking to infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, followed by cardiovascular disease, stroke and lung cancer,” A/Prof Sitas says.

He says the same pattern may now be unfolding with vaping – and that researchers should not repeat the delay that occurred with cigarettes.

“E-cigarettes were introduced about 20 years ago. We should not wait another 80 years to decide what to do.”

Considering all the findings – from clinical monitoring, animal studies and mechanistic data – e-cigarettes are likely to cause lung cancer and oral cancer.

Source: Herschel Baker, International Liaison Director, Queensland Director, Drug Free Australia

www.drugfree.org.au

A new review in Jama Internal Medicine takes a hard look at how cannabis affects mental health. The authors note that while many people believe that cannabis helps their mental health, current evidence of its suggested benefits is weak while evidence of harm, especially with high THC products, is substantial. This is particularly important considering reasons for use include symptom management. This review found insufficient evidence to support cannabis as a treatment for PTSD, ADHD, anxiety, or depression. Studies included in this review found that high THC worsens anxiety and may trigger depressive episodes as well as suicidality in young people and psychotic symptoms, with repeated use raising the risk of chronic psychotic disorders, especially in adolescence. In one of the studies, an 11-fold increase of risk of psychosis was found. The review pointed out that about 30% of people who reported past-year cannabis use met the criteria for cannabis use disorder (CUD), and about half of those cases were moderate to severe. CUD was linked to higher risk of self-harm and unintentional opioid overdose. Continued use can also lead to Cannabis Induced Psychosis (CIP) as well as verbal, working memory, and executive function deficits. CIP can be an early indicator for the development of schizophrenia in nearly half of chronic psychotic cases, with adolescent cannabis exposure further increasing these risks. CIP can serve as an early marker of progression toward schizophrenia in nearly half of chronic psychotic cases, and these risks appear to be further elevated among individuals exposed to cannabis during adolescence.  The increase in THC potency and the worrisome trend of increase in use presents a threat to those who are already at risk or have a lower perception of harm such as adolescents, young adults, pregnant individuals, people with bipolar disorders, people with psychotic disorders or have a family history of psychotic disorders. Regular cannabis use can worsen mania, other mental health outcomes, and reduce recovery from bipolar disorder. In some studies of this review, adverse reactions between CBD, THC, and mental health medications were observed. It is important to note that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved the use of cannabis for pharmacological treatment. The authors of this review recommend routine screening of cannabis use, including non-judgmental approaches when asking patients about cannabis use. These discussions should include potency, frequency of use, and education around synthetic cannabinoids as these lead to greater risk of harm. It is also important to educate patients about drug interactions, and the possibility of cannabis use worsening health outcomes.  Source: Drug Free America Foundation, 333 3rd Ave N Suite 200, Saint Petersburg, FL 33701 US

Submitted by Maggie Petito on behalf of DrugWatch International – 01 May 2026

Article published in London Telegraph- by  Max Stephens – International Crime Correspondent   

Concerns over damage to its international reputation prompt United Arab Emirates to finally take action against gangsters

    

Dubai was the perfect command post for the Kinahan crime family.

For 10 years, Christy Kinahan Sr, “The Dapper Don”, and his two sons, Daniel and Christy Jr, ran their £1bn cocaine empire from lavish flats on Palm Jumeirah, a man-made 1,380-acre archipelago built in the shape of a palm tree.

A network of corrupt officials allowed the cartel to wash dirty money with impunity through the city’s frenetic real estate market.

Despite a $5m (£3.8m) reward for his arrest offered by US authorities in 2022, Daniel Kinahan, the clan’s de facto leader, freely mingled with Europe’s most powerful drug lords at boxing tournaments and in Michelin-starred restaurants.

But on Oct 10 2024, things changed. Sean McGovern, Daniel Kinahan’s closest confidant and family consigliere, was arrested by Dubai Police.

Earlier this month, Daniel Kinahan himself was arrested, and is awaiting extradition to Ireland, where he faces organised crime-related offences. He is being detained in Al Awir Central Prison, nicknamed Dubai’s Alcatraz by former inmates.

Police and security sources revealed that the decision by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to tackle Dubai’s “Costa del Crime” only came about in the past two years because the reputational embarrassment was so acute that they could no longer strike trade deals with other countries.

The enclave of gangsters became an issue of “national interest” for the UAE, according to a former high-ranking British diplomat. Senior figures in the Abu Dhabi government held frequent meetings about the “reputational hits” they were suffering on the world stage.

“If you were someone [a trade official or diplomat] and went to somewhere like Albania or Ireland, it wasn’t great because all they wanted to talk about was that their worst criminals were going to bars in your city,” the former diplomat said.

“It’s a little bit more than just getting over a few bad headlines. The UAE can get over a few bad headlines; it was becoming a significant bilateral irritant.

“It had become an issue of national interest to change their approach. They were finding it hard to do business in lots of places.”

The diplomat added: “If you were an organised crime boss or a rich, successful criminal of some kind, until 2024, Dubai was the best place you could go to because they weren’t arresting people, unless there was a political motive to it.”

Analysts also pointed to the reputational fallout of the UAE being added to the “grey list” of the Financial Action Task Force, a global anti-money laundering watchdog, in 2022.

The grey list is a group of countries that have been judged as not doing enough to combat money laundering and terrorist financing. It took two years before investigators removed the UAE from the list.

Gangsters’ paradise

Dubai’s plethora of designer shops, lavish hotels, its status as a hub for gold trading and low cost of living had turned the emirate into a playground for gangsters.

Criminals flaunted their lifestyles on social media, posing in front of supercars and skyline penthouses.

The emirate’s ancestral “Hawala” banking system meant vast volumes of cash could be transferred without a trace. Authorities asked no questions about where the Kinahans’ funds came from.

The only proviso was that they kept their transatlantic drug and arms trafficking operations outside the UAE. The city was especially attractive for Balkan crime leaders.

An estimated two-thirds of Albania’s drug traffickers are believed to have fled to Dubai over the past decade, according to the Global Initiative against Transnational Organised Crime.

Daniel Kinahan’s guest list for his wedding in 2017 at the “seven-star” Jumeirah Burj Al Arab hotel was almost a who’s who of Interpol’s most wanted.

The group included Edin Gačanin, a Bosnian drug lord known as “Europe’s Escobar”, Raffaele Imperiale, a high-ranking member of Italy’s Camorra linked to stolen Van Gogh paintings; Faissal Taghi, the son of a dual Dutch-Moroccan murderer; and Alejandro Salgado Vega, Spain’s biggest cocaine trafficker. An undercover informant who infiltrated and recorded the wedding on behalf of the US Drug Enforcement Administration confirmed law enforcement’s suspicions that the Kinahans and the group had banded together to form a “super cartel”.

Living the life of Riley

Police estimated that together the group controlled a third of all of Europe’s annual £14.8bn cocaine supply from South America. By 2026, all the kingpins had been either extradited from the UAE or arrested.

The turning point was the arrest of McGovern, who was the subject of an Interpol Red Notice, on Oct 10 2024.

A police source with intimate knowledge of McGovern’s arrest said: “What they [Dubai] started with is targeting those who were living ‘the life of Riley’.

“Those going to boxing matches, posting things on social media while having a Red Notice on them or being wanted, they felt it was disrespectful to Dubai.

“The arrest of McGovern opened the floodgates. They [the police] did it slowly, carefully, they didn’t communicate very much, it was all very sensitive.”

Assassination attempt

McGovern, 39, was extradited in May 2025 and is awaiting sentencing at Dublin’s Special Criminal Court, having pleaded guilty last month to two charges of directing the activities of a criminal organisation.

The Kinahans had relocated from their headquarters in Spain’s Marbella to Dubai following an assassination attempt on Daniel Kinahan on Feb 5 2016.

A group of gunmen disguised as Irish police opened fire on Kinahan and his retinue during the weigh-in of a world boxing match at the Regency Hotel in Dublin.

The attack was carried out by the rival Hutch Gang during a gangland war for control of Ireland’s underworld.

The gang’s alleged leader, 63-year-old Gerry Hutch, or “The Monk”, as he has been named by the Irish press for his ascetic lifestyle, is now running to be an independent candidate in the Dublin Central by-election.

Hutch has denied being an organised crime boss and has not been convicted as an adult. He had minor convictions for robbery as a child.

Gerry Hutch is hoping to win the Dublin Central by-election next month. In the aftermath of the shooting, 19 people were killed on the streets of Dublin, including two civilians in a case of mistaken identity.

While in Dubai, Mr Kinahan sought to rebrand himself as a boxing promoter and was credited by Tyson Fury, the former heavyweight world champion, for helping broker a match between him and Anthony Joshua.

Although the fight never materialised, Mr Kinahan was repeatedly lauded by the roster of world champion fighters signed to his company, MTK Global, for securing deals unmatched by competitors.

Bob Arum, a 94-year-old Las Vegas boxing tycoon whose promotional company Top Rank included Muhammad Ali, George Foreman and Floyd Mayweather Jr in its stable, described Mr Kinahan as his “captain” and said he had always been “honourable”.

MTK Global shut down in 2022, the same year that the US government imposed a $5m (£3.7m) bounty for information leading to Mr Kinahan’s arrest.

Mr Arum has since publicly distanced himself from Mr Kinahan and said that, if he were aware of his criminal activities, “he wouldn’t have touched him with a 10-foot pole”.

The family’s whereabouts in Dubai were well known by authorities, according to a police source.

He dismissed suggestions that a joint investigation from Bellingcat, the Dutch journalism website, and The Sunday Times, which exposed Christy Kinahan Sr’s whereabouts via his Google Reviews of restaurants under an alias, had assisted law enforcement.

Daniel Kinahan, 48, was arrested on foot by a squad of Dubai Police officers on April 15.

Hamid Alzaabi, the secretary-general of the UAE’s national anti-money laundering committee, in a rare public announcement, declared afterwards on social media: “There is no safe haven for criminals in the UAE.”

Dubai ‘under pressure to behave’

Daniel Haberly, a senior lecturer from the Centre for the Study of Corruption at the University of Sussex, said: “Dubai has a serious bid to become one of the real apex global financial centres in the long run.

“There is international pressure for them to behave; they have the same architecture of Western security, it’s not a rogue state. They have to play along.”

Mr Kinahan is being held in Al Awir Central Prison, a sprawling complex in the middle of a desert. The jail is a far cry from the splendour of his old residence, a 45-minute drive away.

Inmates have their heads shaved on arrival, something that Mr Kinahan, who is rumoured to have recently undergone a hair transplant, would feel particularly aggrieved about.

Dubai authorities also announced on Sunday that £168m of the family’s assets had been frozen.

Daniel Kinahan’s wife, Caoimhe Robinson, a property magnate reportedly living in a £5m mansion in the gated community of Hacienda with her four children, is said to be carrying out a fire sale of up to £1bn in assets.

She is not accused of wrongdoing. Meanwhile, Irish police are keeping close tabs on his younger brother Christy Kinahan Jr, 45, who supposedly runs the money-laundering side of operations and is reluctant to “get his hands dirty”.

The family’s patriarch, Christy Sr, who has been subject to the same US bounty as his two sons, has stepped back from the cartel’s day-to-day operations but remains in police crosshairs.

Where Europe’s criminal elite will now set up shop is unclear.

Security sources have pointed to Sudan or Moscow as potential havens, given their governments’ links to corruption and harbouring of fugitives, but said neither could hope to match the splendour of Dubai.

Source: www.drugwatch.org