A US expert who helped design the sanctions programme that targeted Ireland's notorious Kinahan cartel has warned that the state must act swiftly to prevent rival gangs from stepping into the vacuum left behind. The intervention highlights ongoing concerns that dismantling one criminal network, however successful, does not eliminate the underlying drug trade, and that without a clear follow-up strategy, competing cartels and gangs are likely to move quickly to seize the lucrative territory and routes the Kinahans once controlled.

The expert, who was directly involved in placing US sanctions on the Kinahan organisation's leading figures, argues that authorities need to implement a specific strategy immediately rather than treating the sanctions as a standalone victory. The warning centres on the risk that other cartels, both domestic and international, are already positioning themselves to fill the gap, meaning sustained pressure and proactive measures are needed to stop the drugs trade simply changing hands rather than being disrupted.