Kinahan crime boss jailed over gun cache plot

A senior figure in the Kinahan organised crime group has been jailed for six years after he orchestrated a gun cache plot from prison.

Thomas Kavanagh, 57, who is an Irish national with an address in Tamworth in England, had hoped that by leading the National Crime Agency (NCA) to a buried stash of weapons, he could help secure himself a lighter prison sentence in a multi-million-pound drug smuggling case.

Running the conspiracy from prison, Kavanagh enlisted the help of his brother-in-law, Liam Byrne, 44, of Dublin, and associate Shaun Kent, 38, of Liverpool to help in the plot.

All three defendants appeared on Tuesday via video-link from prison for sentencing at the OId Bailey.

The trio admitted offences relating to the plot last month ahead of their trial at the same court.

Judge Philip Katz KC told the court that he proposed to deal with this case as “one overarching criminal plan”.

“It was all designed to help Thomas Kavanagh with his sentence,” the judge said.

“The means chosen to achieve the purpose was to put together a cache of firearms to fool the NCA… and, in due course, to fool the judge.”

Addressing Kavanagh in court during sentencing, the judge said that despite him being in prison, Kavanagh was at the “heart of these conspiracies” and “still able to pull the strings”.

The judge described the weapons involved as “fearsome”.

In May 2021, Kavanagh provided information to the NCA which led them to a field in Newry in Northern Ireland, where two holdalls were unearthed.

They contained seven machine guns, three automatic handguns, an assault rifle and ammunition.

The plot was foiled after the NCA uncovered incriminating messages on encrypted EncroChat, which had been cracked by French counterparts.

Kent was said to have performed several roles, including what was described as being a “messenger-boy”, by receiving instructions from Kavanagh via a middleman in prison.

He then used his EncroChat device to relay instructions to others tasked with him to obtain the guns and ammunition, the court was told.

The judge heard that Byrne, who was also a brother-in-law of Kavanagh’s, was also a close criminal associate of his and they lived near each other in Tamworth, Staffordshire.

He was said to have acted on Kavanagh’s direction to acquire guns and ammunition and added “much-needed impetus” to progressing the plot.

In court on Tuesday, Kavanagh was sentenced to six years in prison to be served consecutively to his existing 21-year sentence.

Byrne was sentenced to five years in prison and Kent was jailed for six years.

In a statement after the sentences were handed down, NCA branch commander Ty Surgeon said the case highlighted the lengths the agency and partners were prepared to go to tackle criminal gangs.

“At the instruction of their leader Thomas Kavanagh, Shaun Kent and Liam Byrne orchestrated a cynical and dangerous plot to plant a cache of weapons so Kavanagh could direct the NCA to them and reduce his time in prison.

“These weapons were viable and deadly weapons that were in the hands of a criminal gang, loaded and ready for use in criminality.”

He said that what the group didn’t know was that their Encrochat messages had been unveiled for law enforcement to see, “showing every detail of their plan”.

“The NCA’s mission is to protect the public from serious and organised crime, and as this case shows, we will pursue every avenue, including overseas, to ensure criminals are brought to justice,” he said.