A modern padel club in western Dubai advertises itself as a destination for competition, fitness, and luxury. Every Friday evening, players gather on climate-controlled courts to compete in one of the world’s fastest-growing racquet sports, with cash prizes on offer and wellness facilities that include private saunas, ice baths, and professional coaching. Among the competitors featured in promotional material and tournament footage is a player whose life, according to investigators, extends far beyond recreational sport.
A joint investigation by Bellingcat and The Sunday Times (UK) has identified Irish national Ian Thomas Dixon, a sanctioned figure alleged to be a senior member of the Kinahan Organised Crime Group, participating in padel tournaments in Dubai under an apparent alias. The findings provide what the investigation describes as the first publicly documented images of Dixon in nearly a decade since he disappeared from public view following the international crackdown on the Kinahan cartel.
Dixon, 36, was sanctioned by the United States Treasury in April 2022 alongside cartel founder Christy Kinahan and his sons Daniel and Christopher Jr. U.S. authorities allege that Dixon served as a trusted lieutenant to Daniel Kinahan, managing financial operations, facilitating the movement of large sums of cash across Europe, arranging payments, and monitoring debts linked to drug trafficking operations. The Kinahan cartel has been described by authorities as a transnational criminal network involved in narcotics trafficking, money laundering, and arms smuggling, with investigators also alleging links to Iran’s intelligence services and the Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah.
The latest investigation traces Dixon’s recent activities through publicly available videos, tournament rankings, and social media posts connected to Dubai’s expanding padel scene. According to Bellingcat and The Sunday Times, those digital records reveal not only Dixon’s continued presence in the United Arab Emirates but also his use of the name “Ian Thomas” while competing in the Asia Pacific Padel Tour’s amateur competition in December 2024.
The investigation comes during a period of heightened pressure on the Kinahan organisation. Earlier this year, alleged cartel leader Daniel Kinahan was arrested in Dubai on an Irish extradition warrant following what authorities described as an extensive international policing and diplomatic effort. Previous reporting by Bellingcat and The Sunday Times had also published recent images of Daniel Kinahan and his father and examined connections involving former UFC fighter Mounir Lazzez and transactions later linked to U.S. sanctions against Iran.
According to the investigation, Dixon’s association with the Kinahan family stretches back more than two decades. After cartel founder Christy Kinahan relocated to Spain following his release from prison in Ireland, members of the organisation established a strong presence along the Costa del Sol. Dixon later worked for businesses linked to the crime family, including The Auld Dubliner pub in Estepona, which investigators have described as a cartel operational hub before it was raided during the multinational Operation Shovel investigation in 2010.
He subsequently worked as a trainer at MGM Marbella, the boxing gym co-founded by Daniel Kinahan that later became MTK Global, one of boxing’s most influential management companies before closing shortly after U.S. sanctions were imposed in 2022.
Dixon also came under police scrutiny in Spain during the investigation into the 2015 murder of Irish criminal Gary Hutch. He was arrested in 2016 but released without charge. Another Kinahan associate was later convicted for his role in the killing. The murder triggered a prolonged feud between the Kinahan organisation and the rival Hutch gang, a conflict linked by authorities to at least 18 deaths across four countries. Following the escalation of that violence, Dixon and other senior cartel figures relocated to Dubai.
Although Dixon has no known criminal convictions, the U.S. Treasury’s sanctions notice outlined allegations concerning his role within the organisation’s financial structure. Authorities also identified him as the controller of Dubai-based Hoopoe Sports LLC, a company representing several professional boxers and reported to have received more than US$4 million relating to bouts involving former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. According to the investigation, boxing promoter Bob Arum said those payments represented consulting fees owed to Daniel Kinahan.
The investigation also places Dixon in an exclusive gated residential community in Dubai, where online property listings indicate villas similar to the one identified in the sanctions notice are valued at up to US$2.7 million.
It was through Dixon’s participation in padel tournaments that investigators reconstructed his recent public movements. Tournament rankings identified “Ian Thomas” as a finalist in the amateur competition during the Asia Pacific Padel Tour held between December 13 and 15, 2024. Bellingcat concluded that the competitor was Dixon after comparing tournament footage, medal presentations, photographs, and other publicly available material.
Video recordings from the tournament captured Dixon throughout the three-day event, including on court during matches, receiving a silver medal after finishing runner-up, and interacting with other competitors. While some later social media posts from separate padel events obscured his face with digital editing, investigators located another uncensored image that confirmed his identity.
The investigation also documents Dixon’s interactions with Scottish organised crime figure Stephen Jamieson during the tournament. Video footage showed the two greeting each other before competition with a fist bump, while additional images placed both men together at another padel event shortly before Jamieson’s arrest.
Jamieson, who has multiple criminal convictions, was extradited from Dubai to Scotland and is currently serving a six-year prison sentence after being convicted on organised crime and drug trafficking charges. Prosecutors built their case using intercepted communications from the encrypted EncroChat network, a communications platform also previously associated with members of the Kinahan cartel.
According to The Sunday Times, the footage showing Dixon and Jamieson together may indicate an underworld connection, noting that members of the Kinahan organisation are not known to associate with rival criminal groups. The investigation identifies this as the first publicly documented open-source link between Dixon and a criminal associate who has since been extradited and imprisoned.
The findings emerge as international authorities continue efforts against the Kinahan organisation. Since the U.S. sanctions were announced in 2022, three of the seven individuals identified as key cartel figures have been arrested. Sean McGovern was extradited from Dubai and recently sentenced to 24 years in prison in Ireland for directing the activities of a criminal organisation in relation to murder and attempted murder. Johnny Morrissey was arrested in Spain and later released on bail subject to travel restrictions, while Daniel Kinahan remains subject to extradition proceedings following his arrest in Dubai.
Dixon is among the remaining senior figures alleged by authorities to still be at large in the United Arab Emirates, alongside Christy Kinahan, Christopher Kinahan Jr., and Bernard Clancy. Ireland’s Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly recently said investigations into the Kinahan cartel remain ongoing and continue to focus on other members of the organisation. According to Bellingcat, Ian Dixon did not respond to questions submitted during the course of the investigation.
