Latest news with #GaryVickery
BBC News
5 days ago
- BBC News
Kinahan crime boss told to pay £1m or face more jail time
A UK boss of the Kinahan organised crime group has been ordered to pay back more than £1m or face more jail time, prosecutors have national Thomas Kavanagh, 57, who was sentenced to 21 years in 2022, will have three months to pay or face another 12 years in prison, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) estimate the Kinahan group, of which Kavanagh, from Tamworth in Staffordshire, was described as the "head", smuggled drugs from Europe with a street value of about £30m by hiding it inside machinery.A judge estimated Kavanagh and associate Gary Vickery, 42, of Solihull, gained £12,235,047 and £10,966,619 respectively from their criminal lifestyle, the CPS said. The judge at Ipswich Crown Court ordered Kavanagh to pay £1,123,096 based on his assets, which include his 50% share of a Tamworth mansion, money from the sale of various other properties in the UK and a villa in Spain, and about £150,000 of "high-end bags, clothes and accessories", the National Crime Agency from Mile Oak, was sentenced in March 2022, after admitting drugs and money laundering offences. Seized from hotel room Vickery, of Boundary Road, was ordered to pay £109,312 within three months or face another two years in prison, prosecutors previous court hearings, orders were made to forfeit an Audemars Piguet watch worth £75,000, as well as just over 100,000 euros that was seized from a hotel room when Vickery was arrested, the NCA 2024, Kavanagh was sentenced to an additional six years in jail - to run concurrent with his existing sentence - after he and associates plotted to lead NCA officers to a buried stash of 11 weapons in a bid to secure himself a lighter prison sentence for his multimillion-pound drug the conspiracy from prison, Kavanagh enlisted the help of his brother-in-law, Liam Byrne, 44, and associate Shaun Kent, 38, in the plan to deceive the was jailed for five years while Kent was handed a six-year prison sentence for their roles in the plot. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Telegraph
5 days ago
- Telegraph
Kinahan crime boss ordered to pay back £1m
A judge sitting at Ipswich Crown Court on Friday estimated that Kavanagh and his associate, Gary Vickery, 42, of Solihull, West Midlands, gained £12,235,047 and £10,966,619 respectively from their criminal lifestyle, the CPS said. The judge ordered Kavanagh to pay £1,123,096 based on his current assets, which include 'his 50 per cent share of his fortified family mansion in Tamworth, money from the sale of various other properties in the UK and a villa in Spain, and approximately £150,000 of high-end bags, clothes and accessories which were discovered when Kavanagh's house was searched following his initial arrest in 2019', a spokesman for the NCA added. Vickery was ordered to pay a sum of £109,312 within three months, or face another two years in prison, prosecutors said. 'Millions of pounds in the process' At previous court hearings, orders were made to forfeit an Audemars Piguet watch worth £75,000, as well as more than 100,000 euros that were seized from a hotel room when Vickery was arrested, the NCA added. Kay Mellor, head of Operations HQ at the NCA, said: 'Thomas Kavanagh was the head of the UK's arm of the Kinahan organised crime group, responsible for the importation and distribution of drugs and firearms, making millions of pounds in the process. 'He and his gang believed they were untouchable, but that proved to be their downfall. 'Kavanagh and Vickery will be behind bars for many years to come and now have to pay back more than £1 million to the state.' 'Dangerous criminals' Adrian Foster, chief Crown prosecutor, said: 'Thomas Kavanagh and Gary Vickery are dangerous criminals in the organised gang world, importing millions of pounds worth of dangerous drugs on an industrial scale to the UK. 'This successful £1 million Confiscation Order demonstrates the prosecution team's commitment to work across borders to strip organised criminals of their illegal gains. 'We continue to pursue the proceeds of crime robustly and will return them back to court to serve an additional sentence of imprisonment if they fail to pay their orders.'
The Independent
5 days ago
- The Independent
Kinahan crime boss ordered to pay back £1m or face more jail time
A UK boss of the Kinahan organised crime group has been ordered to pay back more than £1 million or face more jail time, prosecutors have said. Irish national Thomas Kavanagh, 57, of Mile Oak in Tamworth, Staffordshire, will have three months to pay the sum or face another 12 years in prison, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said on Friday. Prosecutors estimate the Kinahan organised criminal group, of which Kavanagh was the head, smuggled drugs from Europe with a street value of around £30 million by hiding the products inside machinery. Kavanagh was sentenced in March 2022 to 21 years in prison after pleading guilty to drugs and money laundering offences. A judge sitting at Ipswich Crown Court on Friday estimated that Kavanagh and his associate Gary Vickery, 42, of Boundary Road in Solihull, West Midlands, gained £12,235,047 and £10,966,619 respectively from their criminal lifestyle, the CPS said. The judge ordered Kavanagh to pay £1,123,096 based on his current assets, which include 'his 50% share of his fortified family mansion in Tamworth, money from the sale of various other properties in the UK and a villa in Spain, and approximately £150,000 of high-end bags, clothes and accessories which were discovered when Kavanagh's house was searched following his initial arrest in 2019', a spokesperson for the NCA added. Vickery was ordered to pay a sum of £109,312 within three months, or face another two years in prison, prosecutors said. At previous court hearings, orders were made to forfeit an Audemars Piguet watch worth £75,000, as well as just over 100,000 euros that was seized from a hotel room when Vickery was arrested, the NCA added. Kay Mellor, head of Operations HQ at the NCA, said: 'Thomas Kavanagh was the head of the UK's arm of the Kinahan organised crime group, responsible for the importation and distribution of drugs and firearms, making millions of pounds in the process. 'He and his gang believed they were untouchable, but that proved to be their downfall. 'Kavanagh and Vickery will be behind bars for many years to come and now have to pay back more than £1 million to the state.' Adrian Foster, chief Crown prosecutor, said: 'Thomas Kavanagh and Gary Vickery are dangerous criminals in the organised gang world, importing millions of pounds worth of dangerous drugs on an industrial scale to the UK. 'This successful £1 million Confiscation Order demonstrates the prosecution team's commitment to work across borders to strip organised criminals of their illegal gains. 'We continue to pursue the proceeds of crime robustly and will return them back to court to serve an additional sentence of imprisonment if they fail to pay their orders.' In October 2024, Kavanagh was sentenced to another six years in jail after he and associates plotted to lead NCA officers to a buried stash of 11 weapons in a bid to secure himself a lighter prison sentence for his multimillion-pound drug enterprise. Running the conspiracy from prison, Kavanagh enlisted the help of his brother-in-law, 44-year-old Liam Byrne, and associate Shaun Kent, 38, in the plan to deceive the NCA. Byrne – who fled to Majorca after the events – was jailed for five years while Kent was handed a six-year prison sentence for their roles in the plot.
Irish Times
5 days ago
- Irish Times
Kinahan crime boss ordered to pay back £1 million or face more jail time
A UK boss of the Kinahan organised crime group has been ordered to pay back more than £1 million or face more jail time, prosecutors have said. Thomas Kavanagh (57) of Mile Oak in Tamworth, Staffordshire, will have three months to pay the sum or face another 12 years in prison, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said on Friday. Prosecutors estimate the Kinahan organised criminal group, of which Kavanagh was the head, smuggled drugs from Europe with a street value of around £30 million by hiding the products inside machinery. Kavanagh was sentenced in March 2022 to 21 years in prison after pleading guilty to drugs and money laundering offences. A judge sitting at Ipswich Crown Court on Friday estimated that Kavanagh and his associate Gary Vickery (42) of Boundary Road in Solihull, West Midlands, gained £12,235,047 and £10,966,619 respectively from their criminal lifestyle, the CPS said. The judge ordered Kavanagh to pay £1,123,096 based on his current assets, which include 'his 50 per cent share of his fortified family mansion in Tamworth, money from the sale of various other properties in the UK and a villa in Spain, and approximately £150,000 of high-end bags, clothes and accessories which were discovered when Kavanagh's house was searched following his initial arrest in 2019', a spokesperson for the NCA added. Vickery was ordered to pay a sum of £109,312 within three months, or face another two years in prison, prosecutors said. At previous court hearings, orders were made to forfeit an Audemars Piguet watch worth £75,000, as well as just over €100,000 that was seized from a hotel room when Vickery was arrested, the NCA added. Kay Mellor, head of Operations HQ at the NCA, said: 'Thomas Kavanagh was the head of the UK's arm of the Kinahan organised crime group, responsible for the importation and distribution of drugs and firearms, making millions of pounds in the process. 'He and his gang believed they were untouchable, but that proved to be their downfall. 'Kavanagh and Vickery will be behind bars for many years to come and now have to pay back more than £1 million to the state.' Adrian Foster, chief Crown prosecutor, said: 'Thomas Kavanagh and Gary Vickery are dangerous criminals in the organised gang world, importing millions of pounds worth of dangerous drugs on an industrial scale to the UK. 'This successful £1 million confiscation order demonstrates the prosecution team's commitment to work across borders to strip organised criminals of their illegal gains. 'We continue to pursue the proceeds of crime robustly and will return them back to court to serve an additional sentence of imprisonment if they fail to pay their orders.' In October 2024, Kavanagh was sentenced to another six years in jail after he and associates plotted to lead NCA officers to a buried stash of 11 weapons in a bid to secure himself a lighter prison sentence for his multimillion-pound drug enterprise. Running the conspiracy from prison, Kavanagh enlisted the help of his brother-in-law, 44-year-old Liam Byrne, and associate Shaun Kent, 38, in the plan to deceive the NCA. Byrne – who fled to Majorca after the events – was jailed for five years while Kent was handed a six-year prison sentence for their roles in the plot. - PA
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Thomas 'Bomber' Kavanagh: Kinahan crime boss ordered to pay back £1.1m
The UK boss of the notorious Kinahan crime empire has been ordered to pay back more than £1.1m - or face another 12 years in jail. Thomas "Bomber" Kavanagh, 57, was jailed for 21 years in March 2022 for masterminding a £30m cocaine and cannabis smuggling operation. He was last year jailed for another six years after orchestrating a plot while on remand to dupe authorities into handing him a lighter sentence by leading National Crime Agency officers to a weapons stash. Kavanagh is believed to have made around £12.2m from the drugs plot but has been ordered to pay back £1,123,097 in recoverable assets withing three months or face 12 more years in prison. The figure includes a 50% share of his gated property in Tamworth, Staffordshire, which had reinforced doors and bulletproof glass. It also includes money from the sale of other UK properties and a villa in Spain, as well as £150,000 worth of high-end bags, clothes and accessories. Another high-ranking member of the gang, Gary Vickery, 43, who was jailed for 20 years over the drugs plot, was ordered to pay back almost £110,000 or face another two years in jail. At previous hearings at Ipswich Crown Court he was ordered to forfeit an Audemars Piguet watch worth £75,000 and more than 100,000 euros. The NCA have described Kavanagh as the "top man" in the UK for the Irish Kinahan cartel, which has been ranked alongside the Italian mafia with estimated assets worth more than $1bn (around £800m). Christy Kinahan, 68, known as the "Dapper Don" is suspected of building a sprawling international drug empire, stretching across South America, Europe and the Middle East, and allegedly groomed his sons Daniel and Christy Jr to become fellow leaders. In April 2022, the US government offered a for information leading to their arrest or conviction. The US Treasury also said the group has "joined the ranks of the Camorra", an Italian mafia organisation, as they imposed sanctions on the cartel. Kay Mellor, NCA head of operations HQ, said: "Thomas Kavanagh was the head of the UK's arm of the Kinahan organised crime group, responsible for the importation and distribution of drugs and firearms, making millions of pounds in the process. "He and his gang believed they were untouchable, but that proved to be their downfall. "Kavanagh and Vickery will be behind bars for many years to come and now have to pay back more than £1 million to the state." Adrian Foster, chief Crown prosecutor, said described the pair as "dangerous criminals in the organised gang world", responsible for importing millions of pounds worth of drugs on an "industrial scale". "This successful £1m confiscation order demonstrates the prosecution team's commitment to work across borders to strip organised criminals of their illegal gains," he added.
