Son of Kinahan Gang’s UK Leader Admits Role in Gun Plot to help Father
The son of Kinahan gang’s UK leader, Jack Kavanagh, 24, has admitted that he was providing help to his father, Thomas Kavanagh in a gun plot.
The son confessed that he was helping his father in the gun plot to dupe UK authorities and assist him in getting released sooner than his actual incarceration period.
Why is Thomas Kavanagh extradited to the UK?
The UK leader of Kinahan gang, Thomas Kavanagh, has been imprisoned in the UK since last year for committing crimes in a foreign state being the leader of Ireland’s most wanted organised criminal gang.
He was arrested from Malaga Airport in May 2023 by the Spanish National Police. He was on his way to Turkey from a flight from Dubai.
The son of Kinahan Gang’s UK leader confessed
Today, Jack Kavanagh came to the Old Bailey, the criminal court of England, Tamworth and pleaded guilty via video link. He pleaded guilty to two charges of conspiracy from Belmarsh prison; one is for possession of firearms and two other offences include plotting for the ammunition and gun accumulation, as was previously planned under Thomas Kavanagh’s supervision.
The son and his father had hoped that they might be able to play smart with the UK authorities, particularly the National Crime Agency (NCA) into coaxing them that 11 “fearsome” weapons have been kept in a place. They thought it might help them in reducing Thomas Kavanagh’s sentencing period.
What was the gun plot about?
Almost ten days ago, the UK leader of the Kinahan gang, Thomas Kavanagh had revealed the names of those who had been helping him in a gun plot. He named his son, his brother-in-law, Liam Bryne, 44 and another associate, Shaun Kent, 38.
In May 2021, Thomas Kavanagh and his partners were caught via an encrypted chat on EncroChat which was decoded by their French counterparts. The chat had been about acquiring “as many arms as possible” between January 2020 and June 2021.
The chat cited the regions from where the ammunition could be collected, including the Netherlands, Ireland, Northern Ireland and the UK.
The information led NCA to a field where seven machine guns, three automatic handguns and an assault rifle along with some ammunition were found. The field was in Newry, Northern Ireland with two holdall bags discovered in County Armagh.
Thomas Kavanagh wanted to reduce the punishment that he was held for in HMP Dovegate. He was under a three-year sentence for possessing a stun gun and some serious drug charges from March 2020.
The drug charges involved “multiple kilos” of cannabis and cocaine being smuggled to the UK. In March 2022, the UK courts ruled him out with 21 years in prison.
Other charges for his partners
In September, Liam Bryne from Dublin and Kent from Liverpool confessed to two charges of possession of banned weapons. More charges were admitted that were related to possession of banned ammunition from 9 January 2020 to 3 June 2021.
Thomas Kavanagh unveiled that he had planned for the gun plot with Kent and others to betray the course of justice and NCA.
Thomas Kavanagh would now serve another six years along with his already 21-year sentence after the gun plot failed.
Judge Philip Katz remanded the son of Thomas Kavanagh into custody for a sentence on 4 December.
Jack Kavanagh was in custody in Spain
Jack Kavanagh had been involved in several offences previously. He was in custody in Spain after getting arrested at Malaga Airport. He was extradited to the UK for weapon charges.
View this post on Instagram
The supply of firearms in the UK was being looked after by Jack Avanagah for which he was detained in the UK. He was waiting for the court’s decision to fight for his removal to England.
NCA’s deputy director of investigation, Craid Turner said,
“Jack Kavanagh is the second associate linked to the Kinahan OCG (organised crime group) who has been returned to the UK, after thinking he could evade us”.
He was confident that the agency’s work for getting their hands on criminals of the organised gangs would continue in the same manner with the help of their global partners. The ongoing partnerships would help extend their worldwide reach so that law enforcement agencies should stay vigilant on anyone who they speculate as a suspect, he explained.
He assured that organised gang criminals cannot evade justice and would be “behind bars” which they should take as a warning, he said.
Ireland is satisfied with the progress
In the past seven years, more than 80 members of the Kinahan organised crime group have been arrested. Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau notified that the Kinahan cartel no longer remains a “primary organised crime group in this jurisdiction”.
The statement was generated especially after the arrest of prominent members like Liam Bryne, Thomas Kavanagh, Gary Vickery, Daniel Canning, and Shaun Kent.
How EncroChat played a significant role
EncroChat played a vital role in helping the members of the Kinahan cartel play their dirty games for years with encrypted messages that only their members could understand.
However, the law enforcement officers proved that they were more capable than the code language of the criminals. The false sense of security these criminals have been capitalising on for years was now shattered with the dismantling of their latest gun plot in which Thomas and Jack Kavanagh were involved.
The French and Dutch security people broke the codes effectively with the help of Omerta in 2020. It was then the beginning of the downfall of Kinahan members who got caught one after the other, despite being in foreign lands.
The codewords they used were:
- The Gaffer, Plasma or New2 were code names for Thomas Kavanagh
- Jelly was the codename for Vickery
- Smiley was the codename for Canning
- Paper was used for cash
- Sister was a codeword for a machinery concealment
- Barca was codename for Barcelona
- Hot was the codename for Spain
- Flat was the codename for the Netherlands
- Phones and Jackets were code names for cocaine and packages of cannabis, respectively
FAQs
1. Who is Thomas Kavanagh, and what is his role in the Kinahan gang?
- Thomas Kavanagh is a high-ranking member of the Kinahan organized crime gang and is considered its UK leader. He has been linked to numerous serious crimes, including weapons and drug trafficking. He is currently serving a lengthy prison sentence in the UK.
2. Why was Thomas Kavanagh extradited to the UK?
- Thomas Kavanagh was extradited to the UK due to his involvement in various crimes, including drug trafficking and weapons possession, committed as part of his role in the Kinahan cartel. His arrest in Spain in 2023 led to his extradition to the UK for further prosecution.
3. What crime did Jack Kavanagh admit to in court?
- Jack Kavanagh admitted to charges of conspiracy related to possession of firearms and ammunition. He acknowledged that he was helping his father, Thomas Kavanagh, in a gun plot, hoping to manipulate authorities into reducing his father’s prison sentence.
4. What was the gun plot involving Thomas and Jack Kavanagh?
- The plot involved stockpiling firearms and ammunition, which they planned to “reveal” to UK authorities in a scheme to potentially reduce Thomas Kavanagh’s prison sentence. The plan was disrupted, leading to further charges and sentencing.
5. What was EncroChat, and how did it impact the Kinahan gang?
- EncroChat was an encrypted communication service used by criminal networks, including the Kinahan gang, to coordinate illegal activities. French and Dutch authorities cracked EncroChat’s encryption in 2020, uncovering evidence of weapons and drug trafficking, leading to numerous arrests and prosecutions.
