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Dublin Live
Dublin Live
National
John Hand

Kinahan cartel lieutenant Thomas 'Bomber' Kavanagh jailed for 21 years after fall of €36 million drug smuggling empire

Senior Kinahan cartel member Thomas "Bomber" Kavanagh has been caged for 21 years after he headed a cocaine and cannabis drug smuggling operation.

The 54-year-old Dubliner was at the "head of" the criminal organisation which imported more than €36 million in narcotics to the UK.

Some of the drugs - in 23 separate shipments - were destined for the Irish market, Ipswich Crown Court heard this morning.

Read more: Kinahan cartel's Thomas 'Bomber' Kavanagh could face 20 years in prison for huge drugs imports

Judge Martyn Levett said the operation was of a "commercial scale" and that he had "no doubt that the successful importations would have continued" were it not for the authorities intercepting a shipment at Dover in 2017.

Thomas Kavanagh, 54, of Tamworth, Staffordshire, Gary Vickery, 39, of Solihull, and 43-year-old Daniel Canning, who also has an address in Solihull, all admitted at an earlier hearing to conspiring to import class A and B drugs, and money laundering.

Kavanagh, who prosecutors described as "at the head of the organisation", was jailed for 21 years.

Vickery, who was "immediately beneath" Kavanagh, was jailed for 20 years.

Canning, who was "subordinate to Vickery", and also admitted possessing a firearm and ammunition, was jailed for 19 years and six months.

All three will serve half of the sentence before being released on licence.

Read more: Gardai to reveal some of mobster Daniel Kinahan's most personal secrets

Read more: Daniel Kinahan was 'six metres from death' during Regency Hotel attack

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