Thomas 'Bomber' Kavanagh and Liam Byrne admit to firearms charges in dramatic UK court U-turn

Thomas 'Bomber' Kavanagh, 57, his brother-in law Liam Byrne, 43, and Shaun Kent, 38, were arrested after an investigation by the National Crime Agency

Kinahan cartel leader Thomas 'Bomber' Kavanagh and his associates stockpiled firearms so they could act as an informants and get him a lighter sentence for drug smuggling, a court heard.

Thomas 'Bomber' Kavanagh, 57, his brother-in law Liam Byrne, 43, and Shaun Kent, 38, were arrested after an investigation by the National Crime Agency.

Kavanagh a leader of the 'Kinahan' cartel, is currently serving a 21-year sentence for masterminding a £30m drug smuggling operation.
While in custody awaiting sentence at Ipswich Crown Court he masterminded a plot together with Kent, Byrne and others to amass firearms from the UK, the Netherlands, the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

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They then intended to tell the NCA where the firearms were so Kavanagh would get a reduced sentence. Kavanagh spoke to the NCA and told them weapons had been brought to the UK from Holland.

He produced a map which led police to a farm in Northern Ireland and two buried holdalls containing eleven sub-machine guns.
But the NCA had been passed information on the gang after French authorities hacked the encrypted chat EncroChat in April 2020.
The NCA used this information to determine that Kavanagh was lying.

The trio appeared at the Old Bailey today and admitted firearms charges. Kavanagh, Kent and Byrne admitted two counts of conspiracy to possesses a prohibited weapon and two counts of conspiracy to possess ammunition for a firearm without a certificate between 9 January 2020 and 3 June 2021.

Kavanagh and Kent admit perverting the course of justice. Byrne was charged after being extradited from Spain after being arrested as he holidayed in Majorca. A provisional date for sentence was set for 21 and 22 October.

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