Inside Kinahan gang supremo's crazy weapons plot to cut jail time

Thomas 'Bomber' Kavanagh - who lived in a bulletproof house near Tamworth - hatched the failed scheme from behind bars

A Midland-based crime boss who was handed more jail time for orchestrating a crazy weapons plot with his son features in a new BBC documentary about the feared Kinahan gang.

Thomas 'Bomber' Kavanagh - who was the head of the Irish gang's UK faction - hatched a plan from behind bars to amass an arms cache in a bid to dupe the authorities and secure a lighter prison sentence in a multi-million pound drug smuggling case.

The 57-year-old, who ran his drug empire from a bulletproof house near Tamworth before he was jailed in 2022, had hoped that leading police to a buried stash of weapons would see him walk away from jail sooner.

READ MORE: BBC documentary on 'Mafia' crime boss who lived in bulletproof Midland house

The notorious Irish criminal and his son, Jack Kavanagh, 24, worked alongside a network of trusted associates to carry out the conspiracy, hoping authorities would believe they were assisting with law enforcement.

They had hoped that, by burying the weapons in countryside in Newry, Northern Ireland, Thomas Kavanagh would be able to lead officers to them and negotiate a lesser sentence for his crimes.

In reality, their plan was destined to fail as NCA officers had seen Encrochat conversations between Jack Kavanagh and Shaun Kent and Liam Byrne - two other members of the organised crime group.

Jack used the handle 'BasilBadger' and 'ThiLive' and had numerous conversations with Byrne and Kent to obtain firearms for use in the conspiracy, NCA said.

He indicated the urgency of obtaining the guns due to his dad - who features in a new four-part BBC series about the organised crime group titled 'Kinahan: The True Story of Ireland’s Mafia' - being in prison.

Jack said: "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 other messages, he wrote: "What's d crack wit [sic] them other things [firearms] coming."

He also said: "He [Thomas] requires everything ready once this virus f***** off."

Keating was revealed via messages to have been planning how the guns would move through a third party.

In one message, he said: "My man is not going to drive up an empty motorway during a lockdown in middle of a pandemic at 5am. He always done it his own way, your pop knows this.

"So he won't change his way now. It's served him so well. So far, no problems."

In another, Kent was messaging Keating telling him that Mick, a nickname for Thomas Kavanagh, was worried time was running out for him and that he needed the firearms in place as soon as possible.

Keating told Kavanagh: "I'm doing all I can mate, if I had someone to drive them 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, Northern Ireland.

The location was searched, with assistance from Police Service of Northern Ireland officers, who discovered two holdalls, covered in soil and debris.

Inside 11 machine type weapons and ammunition were recovered. Officers were able to quickly link the men to the elaborate plan.

The trio admitted the conspiracy ahead of their trial last year.

Judge Philip Katz KC said during sentencing: “I propose to deal with this case as one overarching criminal plan. It was all designed to help Thomas Kavanagh with his sentence.

“The means chosen to achieve the purpose was to put together a cache of firearms to fool the NCA… and in due course to fool the judge.”

The judge called the weapons “fearsome”.

Speaking to Kavanagh, Judge Katz added: “You, Thomas Kavanagh, were at the heart of these conspiracies which were designed for your benefit. You were in prison and still able to pull the strings.”

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 after Kent was arrested in March 2021 at his home address.

Byrne had fled the UK, but was arrested in June 2023 in the Alcudia area of Mallorca.

He was escorted back to the UK by officers from the NCA in December 2023, where he was also charged with firearms offences and remanded into custody.

Following Jack's return to the UK, he was remanded into custody after a hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court, and pleaded guilty to all offences on November 1, 2024.

Keating appeared at the Old Bailey on Wednesday , December 11, where he pleaded guilty to all offences.

Jack Kavanagh was sentenced to three years and one month, and Keating received a sentence of four years and eight months which will be served in Ireland alongside the sentence he is currently serving.

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.

Craig Turner, Deputy Director of Investigations at NCA, 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."

'Kinahan: The True Story of Ireland’s Mafia' is available to watch now on BBC iPlayer.