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Thomas ‘Bomber' Kavanagh faces extra 12-yr jail term as Kinahan mob's UK leader given 3 months to pay authorities €1.2m
THE Kinahan cartel's UK branch leader Thomas 'Bomber' Kavanagh has been ordered to pay €1.2m to authorities.
The demand against the 57-year-old thug follows a Proceeds of Crime Act investigation led by the National Crime Agency.
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Thomas 'Bomber' Kavanagh has been ordered to pay €1.2m to authorities
Credit: PA:Press Association
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Kavanagh was the UK leader of Daniel Kinahan's mob
The latest probe against the
Detectives estimated his operation saw over €30million of cocaine and
He also admitted being involved in the illegal trafficking of firearms and money laundering.
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He was jailed for 21 years in March 2022.
The probe revealed how Kavanagh was heading up the criminal enterprise and he was lifted at
Following his sentencing, NCA investigators began looking into the gang's finances and assets for seizure under the Proceeds of
Officers estimated that Kavanagh's criminal profits were in the region of almost €14m, but recoverable assets amounted to €1.2m.
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This includes his 50 per cent share of his fortified family mansion in Tamworth, Staffordshire, in the UK's
It also features money from the sale of various other properties in the
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Kavanagh - who played a central role of orchestrating the feud against the
Another high-ranking member of Kavanagh's gang was Gary Vickery.
The 43-year-old, also from
Vickery was also subject to the POCA hearing and has been ordered to pay back €125,000 within three months or face another two years in prison.
At previous hearings orders were made to forfeit an Audemars Piguet watch worth €86,000, as well as just over €100,000 that was seized from a hotel room when Vickery was arrested.
'BELIEVED THEY WERE UNTOUCHABLE'
Kay Mellor, Head of Operations HQ at the National Crime Agency, said: "Thomas Kavanagh was the head of the UK's arm of the Kinahan organised crime group, responsible for the importation and distribution of
'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 £1million to the state.
'We will continue to use every tool at our disposal to target, disrupt and dismantle organised crime groups, deprive them of their assets and ensure they face justice'.
'DANGEROUS CRIMINALS'
Adrian Foster, Chief Crown Prosecutor, added: '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 £1million 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 the last five years, over £478million has been recovered from CPS obtained Confiscation Orders, ensuring that thousands of convicted criminals cannot benefit from their offending. £95million of that amount has been returned to victims of crime, by way of compensation."
REDUCED SENTENCE PLOT
In October 2024, Kavanagh admitted additional firearms offences and perverting the course of justice, after NCA officers uncovered an elaborate plan that Kavanagh hoped would significantly reduce his prison sentence.
Kavanagh directed his trusted associates Shaun Kent and Liam Byrne to purchase firearms and ammunition and bury them so he could reveal their whereabouts to NCA investigators.
All three were jailed for a total of 17 years, with Kavanagh's six years to be served on top of his 21-year sentence.
Kavanagh remains the highest-ranking member of the
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He was arrested in October 2017
Credit: Handout
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He will have three months to pay the sum or face another 12 years in prison
Credit: PA:Press Association
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Kavanagh directed his trusted associates to purchase firearms and bury them so he could reveal their whereabouts to NCA investigators
Credit: PA:Press Association
