The Tanaiste has said he experienced the same "unimpressed" reaction as most Irish citizens after a snap emerged of Daniel Kinahan with Tyson Fury in Dubai.
The Dublin mobster posed alongside the world heavyweight champion, known as 'The Gyspy King', with the pair smiling as they attended a gym in the United Arab Emirates city.
The photo, taken at TK MMA and Fitness, was shared in an Instagram post by former boxer Zaid Khan.
In a video posted on social media, Kinahan, who runs a global drugs and arms cartel worth €1 billion, is seen beaming on the rooftop of the Shatha Tower in Dubai as a poem was read out in honour of Fury.
As the man finishes speaking, Kinahan – wearing sunglasses, a white T-shirt, blue jeans and white runners – leads the applause for Fury.
Neither Fury nor Khan have any involvement in crime.
Leo Varadkar gave his reaction to the picture of Kinahan and Fury and responded to questions regarding the ongoing efforts to bring the cartel boss to justice in Ireland.
"I think I had the same reaction as any other citizen would have, obviously I'm not at all impressed to see that photograph," Mr Varadkar told reporters on Wednesday.
"There has been contact between our authorities and the authorities in the UAE about that matter.
"I don't have an update at the moment but I'll be speaking to the Minister for Justice later on."
Kinahan bolted from Spain to Dubai in 2017 following the outbreak of violence between his cartel and the Hutch crime gang in Ireland.
The year before, he was said to be the target of the Regency Hotel gun attack in Dublin in which his close associate David Byrne was shot dead.
Gerry Hutch and former Sinn Fein councillor Jonathan Dowdall are before the courts charged with his murder.
In response, gardai believe Kinahan orchestrated his cartel’s onslaught against the Hutch gang in a feud which has left 16 people dead.
Gardai are continuing to work on bringing Kinahan to justice and as part of their investigations, officers have travelled to the UAE to liaise with local police.
He was named in the High Court in 2018 as running the day-to-day operations of the Kinahan mob.
The Special Criminal Court last year further established the Kinahan mob carries out “execution-style” murders and trafficks drugs and arms on a global scale.
