West Midlands trio jailed over drug smuggling operation

Thomas Kavanagh, Daniel Canning and Gary Vickery had earlier admitted conspiring to import class A and B drugs, and money laundering

Three men have been jailed for their part in a drugs smuggling operation - bringing them into the UK inside machinery.

Thomas Kavanagh, 54, Gary Vickery, 39, and Daniel Canning, 43, had admitted conspiring to import class A and B drugs, and money laundering.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) estimated the group imported drugs with a street value of more than £30m.

Judge Martyn Levett said the gang were operating on a "commercial scale".

Sentencing the defendants at Ipswich Crown Court on Monday, he said he had "no doubt that the successful importations would have continued" were it not for the authorities intercepting a shipment at Dover in 2017.

The court had heard the NCA began an investigation after information was uncovered by Irish police in Dublin.

Cannabis and cocaine were uncovered in Dover in 2017

The court heard that in October 2017 customs officials at Dover had seized a 15kg consignment of cocaine and 200kg of cannabis hidden inside two Tarmac removal machines.

Prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones QC said the scheme involved drugs being imported from mainland Europe inside machinery and then "delivered by legitimate transportation and logistics companies".

Inquiries led officers to an industrial unit in Wednesbury, West Midlands, where they found, the barrister said, a transformer adapted for concealment that contained a Smith and Wesson .357 revolver gun and 85 rounds of ammunition inside a black holdall.

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

The National Crime Agency said he ran a criminal empire from a fortified mansion packed with weapons including knives, baseball bats and swords, which had been uncovered following his arrest at Birmingham Airport in January 2019.

A gun and ammunition were found in a black bag inside a converted transformer

Vickery, of Solihull said to be "immediately beneath" Kavanagh, was jailed for 20 years.

Canning, also of Solihull, who was "subordinate to" his brother-in-law Vickery, and also admitted possessing a firearm and ammunition, was jailed for 19 years and six months.

The judge said the trio had "conspired together" with a fourth man, Martin Byrne, who died before the case reached court.

He ordered that the seized drugs, firearms and ammunition be destroyed, and said a Proceeds of Crime hearing would take place at a later date.

NCA Deputy Director of Investigations Matt Horne said: "Our financial investigation into Kavanagh and his associates is ongoing, with a view to stripping them of any assets they have acquired through their criminality.

"This is not the end of our activity targeting this group."