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Kinahan Cartel kingpin Liam Byrne due to appear in London’s Old Bailey today

Byrne could face a potential life sentence over the most serious charges

Today at 09:42

ACCUSED Kinahan cartel mobster Liam Byrne is due to appear in a London court today following his arrest and extradition from Spain.

Byrne had previously been remanded to the Crown Court at the Old Bailey where he is expected to face a number of charges offences over a cache of weapons.

He is facing three charges of conspiring to possess a firearm without a certificate and three charges of conspiring to possess ammunition for a firearm without a certificate.

He is also facing two charges of conspiracy to possess a prohibited automatic weapon, three charges of conspiracy to sell or transfer prohibited weapons, conspiracy to possess a prohibited weapon and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

Byrne could face a potential life sentence over the most serious charges.

He is facing trial as part of an investigation into an alleged conspiracy to have brother-in-law Thomas “Bomber” Kavanagh’s prison sentence reduced.

Last August Bomber Kavanagh appeared in court on similar charges.

The court heard that the investigation centres on Encrochat ‘handles’ and information received about firearms, some of which were hidden in Ireland.

It was also heard that 11 firearms are involved in the related charges and that Kavanagh will remain in custody to appear at the Central Criminal Court in London.

He had provided information in relation to the location of the weapons which were concealed in the Republic of Ireland, the court was told.

Kavanagh is already serving 21 years after he pleaded guilty to importing more than £30 million of cocaine and cannabis in a commercial-scale smuggling operation uncovered by the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA).

In January 2017, a raid on a premises at Greenogue industrial estate, Dublin, uncovered ‘Bomber’ Kavanagh’s weapons stash, which resulted in the fall of his once-powerful gang.

The mob had been using a network of money launderers, organisers without major criminal convictions and seemingly-ordinary companies.