Latest news with #KinahanCartel
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Drugs kingpin who ran UK arm of Kinahan Cartel must pay back £1m of his criminal fortune after making £12m from international drugs racket
A drugs kingpin who ran the UK arm of the 'Kinahan Cartel' has been given three months to pay more than £1million of his criminal earnings. Thomas 'Bomber' Kavanagh, 57, was jailed for 21 years at Ipswich Crown Court in March 2022 after he pleaded guilty to conspiring to import class A and B drugs and money laundering offences in July 2020. The same court today concluded that the Irish national made an eye-watering £12,235,047 from the major drug importation conspiracy. It included a half share in his £1million pile in Tamworth, which was fitted with bullet proof windows, equity in a property in Majorca, cash in banks and made from rents, designer watches and clothing, a family holiday to Cancun and about £40,000 seized by police during the investigation. The Kinahan drugs operation is said to be run by Irish man Christy 'Dapper Don' Kinahan, 68, and his two sons Daniel, 48, and Christopher Jr, 44, who are based in Dubai. In April 2022 the US Department of State placed $5million rewards for information that leads to their arrest and prosecution, branding them the heads of a major international drugs cartel. Kavanagh's henchmen Gary 'Flash' Vickery, 42, and Daniel Canning were jailed for 20 years (reduced to 18 years on appeal) and 19 years and six months, respectively. Canning's sentence included five years for possession of a firearm to be served concurrently. Judge Martyn Levett, who sentenced the three and heard the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) case, accepted that financial investigations by the police and CPS had found that the recoverable amount identified from Kavanagh's existing assets is £1,123,096, which he was ordered to pay within three months or face further time in prison. Today he made POCA orders against Kavanagh and Vickery giving them each the same time to pay the money or face extra prison time. Separately, Vickery was found to have benefited to a total amount of £10,966,619, but only £109,312 was found to be available. He was also given three months to pay or face an extended sentence. The court heard Vickery's assets were assessed from money in bank accounts, a half share in a property in Lanzarote, where he was extradited from, vehicles, money spent on a wedding, holiday deposits, watches and a boat. Kavanagh's home was jointly purchased with his wife, Joanne, sister of Kinahan associate Liam Byrne. The couple purchased the luxury pad for £565,000 after Kavanagh's Dublin home was earlier seized by the Irish Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) in Ireland. There is no suggestion Mrs Kavanagh had any involvement in or knowledge of her husband's criminal activities. Other assets that were seized during a January 2019 raid on the address include designer goods estimated at £500,000, including around 100 pairs of designer shoes, 120 handbags, 36 pairs of Armani jeans, Hugo Boss suits, Canada Goose and Moncler jackets as well as flashy watches and jewellery. The £40,000 cash was also found stuffed in a sofa and in Moschino, Gucci and Chanel handbags. Before being extradited to the UK from Lanzarote in November 2021, Vickery had a limited-edition Sunseeker Superhawk power boat, which had featured in the James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace. Vickery and his wife Nicola O'Connor, who had no involvement in or knowledge of her husband's criminal activities, were living in a stunning gated villa in Macher on the island. On January 12, 2019, Kavanagh was arrested at Birmingham Airport as he returned from a holiday in Mexico. He was jailed at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court in September 2019 for three years for possessing a 10,000-volt stun gun disguised as a torch, which was found with other weapons during the raid on the house. In August 2023, Kavanagh, and Liam Byrne, 44, and Shaun Kent, 39, from Liverpool, were charged with firearms offences in connection with an informant plot which was hatched while the former was in jail over the stun gun conviction. Kavanagh later admitted at the Old Bailey that he had plotted to fool the NCA by saying in May 2021 that he had intelligence about where a stash of weapons from Holland was hidden buried in a field in Newry, Northern Ireland, in the hope of getting a lighter sentence in the drugs conspiracy case. The firearms: seven machine guns, three automatic handguns, and an assault rifle and ammunition, were recovered by police. The men had discussed the plot on the encrypted mobile phone system EncroChat, which was infiltrated by French police in April 2020, meaning the NCA had access to the messages. In October 2024 Kavanagh was sentenced to six years in prison to be served consecutively to his 21-year sentence. Byrne was sentenced to five years while Kent received six years. Investigations found Canning only has 16 euros and 19 cents left in an Ulster Bank account in Ireland. The CPS argued that he should be liable for the full amount of the drugs assessed at about £10.4million, but his defence barrister Richard Craven Furlong argued he had a lesser role than Kavanagh and Vickery and had no shareholding in any of the drugs. Canning's defence said he should only be held liable for various transactions into his various bank accounts that totalled around £145,000, about £80,000 of which he used to pay the rent on a unit where some of the drugs were taken. Mr Furlong said he was not disputing that he played a leading role in the conspiracy, but that he had no ownership of the drugs or any shareholding in the 'Kavanagh Cooperative'. Judge Levett said there was a 'huge discrepancy' between the amounts. The CPS argued due to the scale of the conspiracy involving 'multiple importations' he should be found liable for the full amount. Canning's POCA case was adjourned for further argument about Canning's assets. The case continues.
Yahoo
6 hours 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.
Sky News
6 hours ago
- Sky News
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 $5m (£3.8m) reward 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.
Sunday World
17-07-2025
- Sunday World
Face of drug lord nicknamed ‘Thanos' arrested in Kinahan smuggling network sting
Opinder Singh Sian is currently in custody in Nevada after being charged in connection with a cystal meth smuggling plot This is the Canadian gangster arrested in the US as part of a global sting operation targeting a drugs trafficking network with links to the Kinahan Cartel. Opinder Singh Sian is currently in custody in Nevada after being charged in connection with a plot to ship a massive quantity of methamphetamine into Australia, Sian was unaware that he had been dealing with an undercover agent from the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), who had posed as criminal with contacts in a port in California, while arranging the drugs deal. According to evidence from the DEA, Sian told the undercover agent that he worked with 'Irish organized crime, specifically, the Kinahan family, Italian organized crime, and other Canadian organized crime groups.' The Sunday World can reveal that Sian has a long history of ties to organised crime groups based in Canada and Mexico. Known by the nickname Thanos - a notorious villain in the the Marvel's Avengers series – Sian was believed to be a key associate of the Brothers Keepers gang in Canada. Based in British Columbia, a province on Canada's west coast. the Brothers Keepers are believed to be one of the country's most "prominent and violent" organized crime gangs. According to reports, the Brothers Keepers gang acts as a major 'Canadian proxy' to the notorious Sinaloa cartel in Mexico. The mob are heavily involved in drugs trafficking and have links to the Hells Angels and Wolfpack biker gangs. File image, Getty Images. Reports say Sian was never a 'signed-up' member of the Brothers Keepers and is suspected as acting as broker for the gang. According to the Vancouver Sun, Sian was regularly stopped in cars with with other gangsters by Canadian police and has criminal convictions for careless use of a firearm and obstruction of a peace officer date to 2007. The Canadian newspaper details how Sian was also refused permission in 2015 to bring in a woman in from India to get married after the immigration appeal board ruled it was a sham marriage. Officials claimed Sian's proposed bride did not know he had a criminal record or had previously survived an attempted gangland hit. 'This background is particularly relevant to this appeal because the applicant was not aware of the appellant's criminal history, nor the shooting, nor his work experience at the time of marriage. The panel finds that this is very important information that would be expected to be shared by two persons entering into a genuine relationship,' the immigration board ruled, according to reports in the Vancouver Sun. Read more Episode 1098: Kinahan Cartel smuggling network exposed in undercover sting operation In 2008, Sian was wounded in a shooting in that left his friend Gurpreet Sidhu dead and he survived another bid on his life in 2011. British Columbia has recently been the focus of a number of high profile investigations into the drugs trade – including an international operations targeting the network of ex-Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding. 'Vancouver is the centre of gravity for hybrid warfare for transnational organized crime in North America,' Scott McGregor, a former military intelligence operator, told Global News following Sian's arrest. 'One of my colleagues in D.C. mentioned that it was a cross between Dubai and Miami.' Last month, Sian was arrested in Nevada following a three year operation into his smuggling network by the DEA. The operation began when the DEA recruited an informant – known only by the code name 'Queen' – in Turkey in June 2022. Queen then forged ties with Sian, who was suspected of moving shipments of drugs through ports across the world. As part of an elaborate sting, Queen introduced Sian to an undercover DEA agent who offered to facilitate large drug shipments through the Port of Long Beach in the US. The DEA claim Queen, Sian and the undercover agent met face-to-face at a restaurant in Manhattan Beach, California, in March 2023. During that meeting, they struck a deal to traffic methamphetamine to Australia. Daniel Kinahan However instead of smuggling the drugs, the DEA put in place an elaborate sting operation where agents created a staged shipment of methamphetamine through a safehouse in Pomona, California. The DEA intercepted the original drugs shipment arranged by Sian and substituted them with a decoy batch which was then sent onto Australia. Using a GPS-tracked, Australian police were able to follow the container when it arrived to a suspected stash house in Sydney. DEA agents were able to identify multiple aliases used by figures involved in the network which used encrypted apps to communicate and stretched from Dubai to Istanbul. Sian's arrest has also been big news in India where he is accused of having links to shadowy Pakistani security services agents involved with rogue Chinese drug suppliers. India's News18 reported that Sian was a "critical intermediary" between Pakistani agents and Chinese suppliers, who exploit Canada's "permissive legal and political environment" to traffic synthetic opioids. The channel claimed Indian agencies have identified 40 Indo-Canadians who support this network's operations in Punjab, Delhi and Kashmir. According to the report, Indian intelligence sources have flagged the Kinahan cartel as playing a "role in laundering Canadian drug proceeds.' Last month, a Nevada judge ordered Sian held in custody pending his transfer to California saying that his criminal gang 'is alleged to have ties to international hitmen.' None of the other people named in the affidavit by US officials are facing charges at this time.
Daily Mail
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
A well-connected cartel! The Kinahans' links to the worlds of showbiz and sport - as Stephen Gerrard's daughter welcomes a baby with jailed mobster's son
Steven Gerrard is now a proud grandfather after his daughter, Lilly-Ella, gave birth to a baby girl. While this will be a moment of unbridled joy for the Liverpool and England legend, it also marks the formal coming together of two strikingly different families. After all, the baby's 25-year-old father, Lee Byrne, is the son of Liam Byrne - a senior member of Ireland's feared Kinahan Cartel. The gang - which now operates from Dubai - is one of the world's most powerful organised crime groups with a multi-million pound empire spanning drug-smuggling, arms-running, money laundering and extortion. While there is no suggestion Lee is involved in crime, his relationship with Lilly-Ella has certainly raised eyebrows, with former Garda assistant commissioner Pat Leahy previously warning Gerrard that any links with the Byrne clan did him 'no favours'. Mr Leahy made the comments in 2023, shortly after Liam was arrested over an arms smuggling plot. A year later, he was sentenced to five years in prison, a moment Lee marked by writing: 'I love you da. See you soon'. He was let out in January under Labour's early release scheme after serving just three months. While Gerrard may have been the latest public figure to face scrutiny for his Kinahan links, he is far from the first. A raft of other celebrities have also come into their orbit, from shamed UFC fighter Conor McGregor to some of the biggest names in the boxing world, including perhaps the greatest of all - Tyson Fury. Lee Byrne in Dubai with his girlfriend Lilly-Ella Gerrard (left) and her parents, former England captain Steven and his wife Alex Lee and Lilly-Ella have celebrated the bird of a baby girl, who was born on Tuesday Footballing legend Steven (pictured), 45, is now a grandfather for the first time Like Gerrard, McGregor is tied to the Kinahans through a relative - with his sister, Aoife, dating convicted drug-dealer and money-launderer Graham 'The Wig' Whelan. Whelan, 41, is a reputedly linked to the cartel, which has been blamed for gangland slayings in a string of countries including Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain. Patriarch Christopher 'Christy' Kinahan, 68, began the mob in Dublin in the late 1990s, but it is now thought to be run by his 48-year-old son, Daniel. The US has offered a $5 million bounty for information leading to the arrest of Christy, Daniel, and his brother - Christy Jr. Whelan has been in a relationship with Aoife since 2021, and in 2023 she went public by sharing an image of them together at McGregor's pub, the Black Forge Inn, in the Dublin suburb of Crumlin. The couple were seen sitting on the couch with a large glass of whiskey on the table in front of them. Aoife has one arm draping over his shoulder and the other on his leg. Whelan has also played several games for the pub's football team and appeared in several photographs with McGregor. It's believed the picture of Aoife and Whelan at the Black Forge Inn was taken days after he was released from jail after serving an 18-month sentence for money laundering. While there is no suggestion Lee is involved in crime, his relationship with Lilly-Ella has certainly raised eyebrows Lee's father Liam was sentenced to five years in prison last year. Lee marked the moment by writing : 'I love you da. See you soon'. He was let out in January under Labour's early release scheme after serving just three months Gerrard pictured with Nathan 'Biggie' Little, who has been previously named in the Irish High Court as a low-level member of the Byrne Organised Crime Group. This is considered the Irish wing of the Kinahan cartel Whelan was also a guest at the wedding of McGregor's other sister, Erin, in County Tipperary in August. A self-described 'dangerous criminal', Whelan was associated with David Byrne, who was shot dead in a gun attack at Dublin's Regency Hotel in February 2016. David was Liam's brother, and therefore Lee's uncle. While Daniel Kinahan is currently keeping a low profile, he previously worked as a boxing promoter in an apparent attempt to gain a reputation as a legitimate businessman. In 2012 he set up his own management company, MTK Global, which was first based in Marbella before moving to Dubai. He went on to work with some of the leading lights of boxing, including former world champion Tyson Fury. Their business relationship was openly acknowledged by the Gypsy King, who once hailed Daniel as a 'key advisor' and was pictured with him in Dubai. In June 2020, Fury credited him with helping to organise his big comeback fight against Anthony Joshua, saying in a social media video: 'I'm just after getting off the phone with Daniel Kinahan. Conor McGregor with his sister Aoife, who is going out with Kinahan associate Graham 'The Wig' Whelan Last year she went public after sharing this image of them together at McGregor's pub in Dublin McGregor (centre) is pictured at a family wedding with Whelan (left) 'He's just informed me that the biggest fight in British boxing history has just been agreed. Get in there my boy! Big thank you Dan for getting this deal over the line. ' Daniel was also involved in brokering a deal for Fury's second and third fights against Deontay Wilder, as well as his bouts against Tom Schwarz and Otto Wallin in 2019. Scrutiny of Fury's ties to Daniel increased in April 2022 when the US Treasury imposed sanctions on the mobster, his brother, father, and several associates. At one point, their relationship even led to the boxer being briefly banned from the US. After long refusing to share details about his relationship with Daniel, Fury finally broke his silence in April 2022 by insisting that his crime links were 'none of my business, and I don't get involved in other people's business'. Fury added that he had not dealt with the gangster 'for a long time'. Other boxers who signed up with MTK included Billy Joe Saunders, Josh Taylor and Carl Frampton. Daniel's other cheerleaders included the flyweight Sunny Edwards and former UFC fighter turned boxer Darren Till. Like Fury, none have been accused of any crimes. Tyson Fury posing with Daniel Kinahan in Dubai in 2022, when the mob boss was acting as his advisor Kinahan has previously worked with other leading British boxers, including Sunny Edwards Kinahan with former UFC fighter turned boxer Darren Till Asked in 2023 about his involvement with MTK, Frampton said he got a 'fair bit of grief' for it but did not have any regrets because they were 'good for me'. Legendary boxing promoter Bob Arum also dealt with Daniel and admitted this year to being tricked by the gangster's claims to have stepped away from crime. 'Remember at the time, things around his reputation were debatable - I fell for the thing he was a bad guy but he had changed and he had gone legit,' he told the Irish Sun. While the Kinahans have long enjoyed a glitzy lifestyle and connections with the rich and famous, their luck may soon run out. They are now believed to be planning a move from Dubai after their alleged senior associate, Sean McGovern, became the first person to be extradited from the UAE to Ireland after a treaty was finally ratified. McGovern's arrest and extradition is the latest blow to the Kinahans following the successful prosecution of their UK chief, Thomas 'Bomber' Kavanagh. Christy Kinahan began the Kinahan Cartel as a drug-dealing ring in Dublin in the 1990s and has expanded it into a global empire. Son Daniel (right) is believed to run its day-to-day operations Kavanagh was originally handed a 21-year jail term in 2022. He was given another six years in 2024 for amassing a stash of firearms before sharing their location with police in the hope of securing a softer sentence. As the net tightens on the Kinahans, they are said to be considering moving their base to a more welcoming location - such as the Iranian territory of Kish Island.
