Son of Kinahan cartel boss 'Bomber' Kavanagh extradited to UK over alleged firearms offences

Jack Kavanagh, the son of “one of the most trusted Kinahan OCG associates”, had been extradited to stand trial

The son of Kinahan cartel boss Thomas ‘Bomber’ Kavanagh has been extradited to the UK to stand trial on alleged firearms offences.

The UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) issued a press release in which they said that Jack Kavanagh, the son of “one of the most trusted Kinahan OCG associates,” had been extradited to stand trial.

Releasing a picture of Jack under arrest, the NCA said the 24 year old from Tamworth, was escorted back to the UK by a team of officers from its Joint International Crime Centre last week and appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court via video link on Friday 4 October, where he was remanded into custody.

READ MORE: New image of smiling Kinahan cartel boss Liam Byrne emerges as he faces years behind bars

READ MORE: Kinahan cartel bosses Liam Byrne and 'Bomber' Kavanagh face decades behind bars over firearms plot

Kavanagh was arrested in May 2023 at Malaga Airport by officers from the Spanish National Police, as he was transiting from Dubai to Turkey.

The NCa say he “is accused of being involved in the supply and acquisition of firearms after NCA investigators discovered messages on the encrypted messaging platform Encrochat.” Craig Turner, Deputy Director of Investigations at the National Crime Agency, said: "Jack Kavanagh is the second associate linked to the Kinahan OCG who has been returned to the UK, after thinking he could evade us.

"Our work to target the alleged criminal activities of the crime group continues. Our global reach, and ongoing partnership with international law enforcement agencies should act as a warning to anyone who thinks they can go on the run and avoid facing justice – we will not stop until you are back in the UK and behind bars".

Jack Kavanagh will next appear at the Old Bailey on 1 November. It comes after his father ‘Bomber’ Kavanagh and his brother in law Liam Byrne pleaded guilty to their roles in the conspiracy last month.

In a major U-turn at the 11th hour, infamous mobsters Byrne and Kavanagh, who were set to go on trial before a jury at London’s Old Bailey pleaded guilty to their roles in a bizarre plot to deliberately lead the National Crime Agency (NCA) to a seizure of firearms in 2021.

‘Bomber,’ who was once named in Ireland’s High Court by gardai as being “at the top of the tree” of the Kinahan cartel, now admits that he put together an insane plan to have his associates hide a stache of firearms - so that he could pretend to cooperate, help officers find the guns - and then secure himself a lesser prison sentence.

Irish native Kavanagh, once a central figure in the Kinahan gang who lived in a mansion in Tamworth, was at the time of the plot facing trial for conspiring to import E36M worth of drugs into the UK - a charge he ultimately was convicted of and sentenced to 21 years in prison for.

The infamous cartel figure, who is currently locked up in London’s Belmarsh prison, may now face up to a life sentence - after pleading guilty to perverting the course of justice in this case.

Meanwhile his brother-in-law Liam Byrne - considered to be the leader of the Kinahan cartel’s operations in Ireland and the UK, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess the prohibited weapons and ammunition which were ultimately found in a farmer's field in Newry, Co Down.

Byrne, who it can now be revealed was a central driver of the bloody Kinahan Hutch feud that claimed 18 lives - faces a maximum penalty of up to 10 years for each conspiracy charge.

The shocking details of Bomber’s incredible attempt to ruse the NCA can also now be revealed - after a court heard that his associates - including Byrne, hatched a plot to lure officers to 11 weapons - including three Skorpion submachine guns, three Heckler and Koch, and Uzi submachine gun and ammunition.

‘Bomber ', once a right-hand man of mob boss Daniel Kinahan, desperately hoped that the NCA would fall for the plot, in which he offered to help them find the weapons ahead of his trial over the E36M worth of drugs. But the plan was foiled when incriminating encrypted conversations on ‘Encrochat’ were cracked in April 2020 - and revealed how his associates conspired to plant the weapons in a desperate bid to secure him a lighter prison sentence.

In an interview with the NCA in 2021 Kavanagh tried to claim to officers that he had intelligence about an arms cache of between 10 and 20 weapons, said to have come from Holland. He even provided a map with instructions and an X marking a particular spot in Newry. The PSNI ultimately investigated the claims and found buried two holdalls containing the guns and ammunition.

Last month Kavanagh, Byrne and co-accused man Shaun Kent all admitted to two charges of conspiring to possess a prohibited weapon, and two charges of conspiring to possess prohibited ammunition, between January 9 2020 and June 3 2021. Kavanagh and Kent also admitted conspiring with others to pervert the course of justice.

The charge said that they plotted to "possess firearms and thereafter to hide them and then reveal their whereabouts to the National Crime Agency to enable Thomas Kavanagh to receive a reduced sentence on Operation Hornstay with intent to pervert the course of justice".

The guilty pleas came just one day before the men were set to go on trial before a jury in a case that was expected to last up to eight weeks.

Presiding Judge Philip Katz KC said he would sentence the men on October 21 and remanded them into custody. Mob boss Liam Byrne was considered by gardai to be a major player in the Kinahan cartel and was out for revenge when his brother David was shot and killed by the Hutch gang in the lobby of Dublin’s Regency Hotel in February 2016.

Following his brother’s killing Byrne sought for the Kinahan mob to strike back - with the gang going on to ruthlessly kill 16 more men - many of whom were innocent victims. Byrne was also a close friend and trusted confidant of cartel boss Daniel Kinahan - as was Bomber Kavanagh, who was considered a central figure in the horrific feud murder of innocent Dublin City Council worker Trevor O’Neill in Majorca in August 2016.

In the case of Liam Byrne - the Dubliner was extradited to the UK from Spain after a major arrest on the island of Mallorca last year. Byrne, who is originally from Crumlin, was arrested in June when he was eating at a restaurant in the Alcudia area of Mallorca - having flown there from Dubai.

Prior to that he had enjoyed a life of luxury in the UK - having fled Ireland after becoming the target of a massive investigation by the Criminal Assets Bureau in 2019. His brazen lifestyle saw him regularly being photographed at his beloved Liverpool football club matches - and hanging out with admitted pal Steven Gerrard.

In Ireland the CAB ultimately seized E2.7M of Byrne's assets - including dozens of high-powered vehicles, expensive jewellery and bank accounts. As part of their investigations CAB investigators were able to state that Byrne was at the “very top tier” of organised crime in Ireland, and outline his direct links to the Kinahan gang.

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