Suspected Kinahan gang members charged with firearm offences, NCA says

Three men suspected of being members of an organised crime group have been charged with firearm offences, the National Crime Agency has said

Thomas Kavanagh, 55, from Tamworth, Staffordshire, as well as Shaun Kent, 37, and Daniel McLoughlin, 36, from Liverpool, are suspected of being members of the Kinahan organised crime group, which operates in Ireland, the NCA said.

They appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday where they were formally charged with firearm offences.

The firearm offences include conspiring to possess a firearm and ammunition for a firearm without certificates, and conspiring to possess a prohibited weapon and prohibited ammunition.

Kent was also charged with perverting the course of justice.

The three men will next appear in court at the Old Bailey on September 5.

Two other men, Jack Kavanagh, 23, from Tamworth, and Liam Byrne, 42, from Dublin, have been arrested in Spain, and extradition proceedings are under way, the NCA added.

NCA officers believe that Byrne, Jack Kavanagh and Kent conspired to pervert the course of justice by planning to reveal the location of weapons in an attempt to get Thomas Kavanagh, who is currently serving 21 years for drug trafficking, a reduced prison sentence.

NCA regional head of investigations Craig Turner said: “These charges are a major milestone in what has been a long and complex international investigation.

“We will continue to work with our partners to target criminals who we suspect are operating at the highest levels of organised crime impacting on the UK.”