THREE IRISH MEN have pleaded guilty to a series of drug and firearms offences following what police in the UK described as a “major investigation”.
At a hearing at Ipswich Crown Court today, Thomas Kavanagh (52) and Gary Vickery (37) – Irish nationals from Tamworth – and Daniel Canning (41) – from Walkinstown in Dublin – all admitted conspiring to import class A and B drugs and money laundering.
Canning also admitted possessing a firearm and ammunition.
Kavanagh is described as a senior figure within the Kinahan crime gang. He is a brother-in-law of David Byrne, who was shot dead at the Regency Hotel in February 2016.
All three men will be sentenced following a hearing relating to Kavanagh’s involvement in the conspiracy, which is due to take place at the same court on 26 October.
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Matt Horne, the deputy director of investigations at the UK’s National Crime Agency said: “Today’s guilty pleas are the culmination of a four-year investigation into Thomas Kavanagh and his co-conspirators, who were part of a significant international crime network, capable of organising multi-million pound shipments of drugs.
“We have worked throughout with our colleagues at An Garda Síochána, and I hope these convictions send out a strong message to others who may think themselves to be untouchable.”
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