TWO men who were involved in a plot to plant firearms and ammunition in a bid to reduce a crime boss’ prison term have been sentenced.
Jack Kavanagh, 24, from Tamworth, and Peter Keating, 43, from Dublin, obtained guns and ammunition while Kavanagh’s dad, Thomas ‘Bomber’ Kavanagh, was on remand for drugs offences.
They hoped that by burying the weapons in countryside in Newry, Kinahan OCG member Thomas Kavanagh would be able to lead officers to the cache and negotiate a lesser sentence for his crimes.
“[Jack] 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,” said Craig Turner from the National Crime Agency (NCA).
Messages
Over 18 months, the men worked with Shaun Kent and Liam Byrne using the encrypted messaging platform Encrochat to source the weapons.
However, NCA officers had seen their conversations and uncovered the role each man had played in the conspiracy.
Jack Kavanagh had numerous conversations with Byrne and Kent to obtain firearms for use in the conspiracy and was referred to as ‘Junior’ in other chats between the two.
In one message, he indicates the urgency of obtaining the guns due to his father being in prison: “Pressure in there is another level, 23 hours a day and can’t even get on the basher himself. And then waiting on this court date and then waiting on these other yokes [guns]. Madness.”
In another message, Kent tells Keating that Mick — a nickname for Thomas Kavanagh — is saying ‘time’s running out for him, needs [firearms] ASAP’.
Keating replied: “I’m doing all I can mate if I had someone to drive them [the weapons] any were [sic] I’d have got this all done weeks ago and be off my head stress off it all.”
The plans continued until April 2021 when Thomas Kavanagh’s legal representatives provided the NCA with a map of a location in Newry.
The site was searched with assistance from the PSNI, who discovered two holdalls covered in soil and debris containing 11 machine-type weapons and ammunition.
Officers then linked Jack Kavanagh, Keating and the other defendants to evidence the elaborate conspiracy.
Arrests
Jack Kavanagh was extradited to Britain from Spain after his arrest in May 2023 at Malaga Airport by Spanish police as he was transiting from Dubai to Turkey.
He was escorted back to Britain by a team of officers from the NCA’s Joint International Crime Centre in November.
Following his return, he was remanded into custody after a hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court and pleaded guilty to all offences.
On Thursday, he was sentenced to three years and one month in prison.
Keating was extradited to Britain from Dublin in November to face charges of conspiracy to possess and transfer firearms and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.
He is already serving a prison sentence in Ireland.
He appeared at the Old Bailey on Wednesday where he pleaded guilty to all offences.
On Thursday, he was sentenced to four years and eight months, which will be served in Ireland alongside the sentence he is currently serving.
Accomplices sentenced
Kent was arrested in March 2021 at his home address.
Thomas Kavanagh, who had been sentenced to 21 years for previous drug trafficking offences, was arrested at HMP Norwich in August 2021.
He and Kent were subsequently charged with firearms offences and perverting the course of justice in August 2023.
Byrne had fled Britain but was arrested in June 2023 in the Alcudia area of Mallorca.
He was escorted back to Britain by officers from the NCA in December 2023, where he was also charged with firearms offences and remanded into custody.
Thomas Kavanagh was sentenced to a further six years in prison.
Byrne received five years in prison and Kent received six years in prison when they were sentenced in October.