Daniel McLoughlin (37) was accused of providing firearms to Thomas ‘Bomber’ Kavanagh (57) and his brother-in-law Liam Byrne (43) who are leading members of the organised crime group
Daniel McLoughlin (37) was accused of providing firearms to gang boss Thomas ‘Bomber’ Kavanagh (57) and his brother-in-law Liam Byrne (43) who are leading members of the organised crime group.
McLoughlin denied two counts of conspiracy to possess a prohibited weapon between April 29, 2020, and May 28, 2020.
Prosecutor Tom Forster, KC, today offered no evidence against McLoughlin and Judge Philip Katz, KC, cleared him of the two offences.
Liam Byrne (left) and Thomas ‘Bomber’ Kavanagh (right)
Kavanagh and Byrne, along with Shaun Kent (38) have admitted their role in the plot, which aimed to get Kavanagh a reduced sentence for drug smuggling by revealing the location of the guns to the UK’s National Crime Agency.
McLoughlin admitted he sometimes used the Encrochat handle ‘Tabooky’ which arranged to pass firearms onto Byrne but claimed he did not have sole use of that account.
Mr Forster said there was no evidence McLoughlin was not telling the truth and the crown could not rule out that someone else had arranged the firearms sale.
McLoughlin was jailed for 14 years and four months earlier this year after admitting conspiracy to supply Class A and B drugs and exporting Class B drugs to Australia.
McLoughlin’s Liverpool drugs gang made almost £15,000 a week delivering drugs in lockdown.
Kavanagh is currently serving a 21-year sentence for masterminding a different €36m drug smuggling operation.
While in custody awaiting sentence at Ipswich Crown Court he masterminded a plot together with Kent, Byrne and others to amass firearms from the UK, the Netherlands, the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
They then intended to tell the NCA where the firearms were in order for Kavanagh to receive a reduced sentence.
Kavanagh spoke to the NCA and told them weapons had been brought to the UK from Holland.
He produced a map which led police to a farm in Northern Ireland and after digging they found two holdalls containing eleven submachine guns.
The NCA had been passed information on the gang after French authorities hacked the encrypted chat EncroChat in April 2020.
The NCA used this information to determine that Kavanagh was lying.
Daniel McLoughlin
Kavanagh, Kent and Byrne have admitted two counts of conspiracy to possesses a prohibited weapon and two counts of conspiracy to possess ammunition for a firearm without a certificate between 9 January 2020 and 3 June 2021.
Kavanagh and Kent admitted perverting the course of justice.
They hid firearms in order to reveal their whereabouts to the NCA and enable Kavanagh to receive a reduced sentence on ‘Operation Hornstay’- the drugs smuggling operation.
Dublin gangster Byrne was charged after being extradited from Spain after being arrested as he holidayed in Majorca.
The three men are due to be sentenced on October 21 and 22.
