The son of a Kinahan gang boss is set to walk free from prison despite admitting his involvement in an arms cache plot to earn his father early release from jail.
Jack Kavanagh, from Tamworth, is the son of Thomas ‘Bomber’ Kavanagh – the head of the Kinahan crime cartel’s UK operations.
A former trainee accountant, Kavanagh tried to help his father in engineering a lighter drug smuggling sentence by acquiring and then stashing a raft of handguns, machine guns and ammunition.
The plan was to then alert the National Crime Agency (NCA) to their location but the scheme was foiled when the NCA along with the help of their French counterparts cracked encrypted messages from Kavanagh and his co-conspirators.
Having been arrested by Spanish forces in Malaga Airport in May 2023, Kavanagh was then extradited to the UK where he pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess firearms and ammunition.
At his sentencing on Thursday before the Old Bailey, Judge Philip Katz KC stated that Kavanagh was more of an ‘enthusiastic messenger’ than the plot’s mastermind and therefore sentenced him to three years and one month in prison.
However, having effectively already served this sentence during his time on remand, Kavanagh will now be released from Belmarsh prison where he appeared via videolink for the verdict.
During his concluding remarks, Judge Kats told the court: ‘Although I accept you (Jack Kavanagh) got involved out of misguided loyalty to your father, you entered into this agreement with your eyes open’.
Jack Kavanagh (pictured), is the son of Thomas ‘Bomber’ Kavanagh – the head of the Kinahan crime cartel’s UK operations
Thomas Kavanagh (pictured) was jailed for six years for his role in instigating the plot which he will serve consecutively with his earlier prison sentences
Unlike his father who was labelled a ‘notorious and leading member of an organised crime group’, Kavanagh was described as a ‘young man of good character’ before the court.
Noted in mitigation by Judge Katz was also the fact that Kavanagh had been just 20-years-old when he became embroiled in his father’s scheme and that he had a ‘promising career’ ahead of him.
Kavanagh’s barrister, Tyrone Smith KC, told the court: ‘This was a young man with a real opportunity in life to make good on his promise and was seeking to do so.
‘He was not motivated by financial gain or the result of a longstanding criminal life but of misplaced loyalty’.
Speaking to the incriminating messages uncovered by the NCA, Mr Smith told the court that the encrypted chat highlighted Kavanagh’s lack of knowledge of criminality.
Serving inmate Peter Keating, 43, from the Republic of Ireland, was jailed for four years and eight months, having admitted the same charges, as well as one of plotting to pervert the course of justice.
He is expected to be returned to Ireland where he is already serving 12 years for directing a criminal organisation.
Opening the facts of the case, prosecutor Max Baines shared that the conspirators had agreed to to acquire as many firearms as possible from the UK, Netherlands and Ireland between January 2020 and June 2021.
Authorities unearthed seven machine guns, three automatic handguns, an assault rifle and ammunition in a field in Newry
Authorities unearthed seven machine guns, three automatic handguns, an assault rifle and ammunition in a field in Newry
Authorities unearthed seven machine guns, three automatic handguns, an assault rifle and ammunition in a field in Newry
At the time, Thomas Kavanagh was in HMP Dovegate where he was serving a three-year sentence for possession of a stun gun and had been on remand for smuggling multiple kilos of cocaine and cannabis into the UK- an act which saw him jailed for a further 21 years in 2022.
Enlisting the help of other family members, Thomas Kavanagh tipped off the NCA in May 2021 about the location off firearms in a field in Newry.
Authorities then unearthed seven machine guns, three automatic handguns, an assault rifle and ammunition.
Jack Kavanagh, who used the handle BasilBadger in the encrypted chats about the plot, communicated with with other conspirators about obtaining these weapons and was referred to as ‘Junior’ by them.
In September, Thomas Kavanagh, along with brother-in-law Liam Byrne and associate Shaun Kent, all admitted their roles in the conspiracy.
Thomas Kavanagh was jailed for six years for his role in instigating the plot which he will serve consecutively with his earlier prison sentences.
Byrne – who fled to Majorca after the events – was jailed for five years while Kent was given a six-year prison sentence.
Craig Turner, deputy director of investigations at the National Crime Agency, said: ‘Kavanagh and Keating were a central part of this plot to deceive us in a bid to reduce the lengthy sentence Kavanagh’s father was facing for drugs offences.
‘Their messages showed they were involved in much of the logistics of the plan to obtain the firearms, all of which were viable deadly weapons.
‘While Jack attempted to evade justice by fleeing abroad, our global reach and close working with international partners saw him returned to the UK and now starting a lengthy prison sentence’.
