Money launderer Johnny Morrissey’s little ‘black books’ hold key to Kinahan empire

A number of charities based on the Costa Del Sol are now suspected of being part of the Kinahan money-laundering machine along with a string of nightclubs, bars and restaurants.

Socialites and D-list celebrities, chefs and private club owners are all expected to be swept up in the biggest financial investigation into drug money ever conducted in Europe – the secrets of which are being untangled from Morrissey’s ‘black books’.

Many codenames used within the ledgers have already been deciphered, while others will be tallied with information garnered during the Encrochat phone hack.

Books of detailed accounts taken from Morrissey are currently being examined in Madrid in an investigation conducted by Europol and in conjunction with the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).

The ledgers are understood to contain details of financial transactions between underworld figures and seemingly legitimate businesses and individuals and are being described as the ‘beating heart’ of the mob’s vast trans-global empire.

A number of charities are now suspected of having been funded with their drug money as the cartel tried to ingratiate themselves with the Marbella society and high-ranking officials and facilities, who were then targeted for corruption.

The Costa Del Sol has been key to the vast Kinahan fortune, despite the fact that the family are now based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It was there that the mob was first established around 2000 and where they have laundered the majority of their funds.

The black books are expected to untangle deals between the Kinahan organisation and a network of seemingly legitimate business owners, laundering methods and cash-flow routes.

The money network was hidden under the guise of accounts for Nero Vodka, the fake company set up to launder Kinahan funds. Headed up by Nicola Morrissey, the Scots wife of balding thug Johnny, the company had been hosting events, sponsoring charities and had even become the darling of the Marbella-based Euro Weekly News, an English language newspaper on the Costa.

Owner Michel Euesden, who hails from Rochdale in the UK, has said she had no idea of Morrissey’s criminal background or the couple’s involvement with the Kinahan organisation when she launched their Nero Vodka company at the Puento Romano Hotel and gushed about their business prowess in numerous postings.

She once described Nicola Morrissey as: “sharp-witted and sharp eyed – she always goes out of her way to ensure everyone is taken care of. She really is absolutely fabulous. She has manifested, visualised, eagerly sought out her tools to succeed, no obstacle has ever been too big for her to overcome to achieve her dream and she has sacrificed like only a winner can…..Ladies...She is our hope for the future.”

Daniel and Christopher Kinahan Jnr left Marbella in February 2016 shortly after the Regency Hotel shooting and moved to Dubai, where their father, Christopher Snr, was already settled. They left their business interests in Spain in the hands of Morrissey – a trusted enforcer – and former armed robber Kevin Lynch as their main operative on the ground.

While money moved around the globe, the organisation’s financial HQ remained on Spain’s Costa, where it had been established and built up over two decades.

Sources say that while much of the funds were laundered through traditional food companies, import-and-export businesses, property and crypto currency, Nero Vodka became the central accounts system for the mob, and its books hold the keys to the empire.

The vodka brand was first mentioned by Morrissey in 2018, when he announced on social media that it was under development and design. With offices in Scotland, it was officially launched by Eusden in December 2020.

Accounts relating to Nero and its activities are being examined for any evidence of corrupt payments to police or business organisations. Those who owe money to the mob are likely to be the only winners as no other records are believed to exist detailing their debts.

“The family are over. This is the final straw for Christy Snr and the sons, Daniel and Christopher Jnr. It is inevitable now that those around them will be looking to save their own skin and that many will be eyeing up the business that they have left behind. It’s only a matter of time that they are replaced and that everything they built over such a long time is gone,” a source said.

Police suspect that the Kinahan organisation has laundered hundreds of millions of euro through a vast network of businesses on the Costa Del Sol.