Kinahan crime boss who orchestrated weapons cache from prison jailed

A British boss of organized crime group Kinahan, who orchestrated a plot to amass a weapons cache to deceive authorities in a bid to get himself a lighter prison sentence, has been jailed for six years.

Irish national Thomas Kavanagh, 57, had hoped that by leading the National Crime Agency (NCA) to a hidden stash of 11 ‘terrifying’ weapons he could influence a conviction in a multi-million pound drug smuggling case.

Kavanagh led the conspiracy from prison and enlisted the help of his brother-in-law, 44-year-old Liam Byrne, and associate Shaun Kent, 38, in the plan to defraud the NCA.

Byrne was jailed for five years, while Kent was given a six-year sentence after a two-day sentencing at the Old Bailey, with all three defendants appearing via video link from HMP Belmarsh on Tuesday.

The trio admitted the conspiracy last month ahead of their trial at the same court and Judge Philip Katz KC said during sentencing: “I propose to treat this case as one overarching criminal scheme.

“It was all to help Thomas Kavanagh with his sentence.

“The means chosen to achieve this end was to amass a stockpile of firearms to fool the NCA… and in due course to fool the judge.”

The judge called the weapons ‘terrifying’.

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

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

The plot was foiled after the NCA discovered incriminating messages on the encrypted EncroChat that had been cracked by French counterparts.

Kent is said to have fulfilled various roles, including that of a ‘messenger’ by receiving instructions from Kavanagh through an intermediary in prison.

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

Byrne was a close criminal associate of both Kavanagh and his brother-in-law, and they lived close to each other in Tamworth, Staffordshire.

He acted on Kavanagh’s instructions to acquire firearms and ammunition, adding “much-needed impetus” to the plot’s progress.

Kavanagh, Byrne, from Dublin, and Kent, from Liverpool, admitted two charges of conspiracy to possess a prohibited weapon, and two charges of conspiracy to possess prohibited ammunition, last month, ahead of their trial at the same court, between January 9, 2020 and June. 3 2021.

Kavanagh and Kent also admitted conspiring with others to pervert the course of justice.