A suspected senior Kinahan gangster has been extradited to the UK to stand trial for alleged firearms offences after a UK National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation.
Liam Byrne was escorted back to the UK by a team of officers from the NCA’s Joint International Crime Centre on Tuesday and appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, when he was remanded into custody.
Byrne, 42, from Dublin, was arrested in June while eating at a restaurant in the Alcudia area of Mallorca.
He had flown into Palma Airport from Dubai, UAE, on May 26th.
The NCA’s intelligence-led probe was supported by Spanish police and officers from the Irish police service An Garda Siochana.
The agency obtained arrest warrants after messages on encrypted messaging service Encrochat allegedly indicated Byrne was potentially involved in the supply and acquisition of firearms.
Craig Turner, deputy director of investigations at the NCA, said: “The arrest and extradition of Liam Byrne highlights the NCA’s ongoing work to target the alleged criminal activities of the Kinahan organised crime group.
“He will now be remanded in custody until his next court appearance, which is scheduled for January 8th, 2024.”
Another suspected member of the crime gang, Jack Kavanagh, 23, from Tamworth, Staffordshire, who was arrested by Spanish police on May 30 at Malaga Airport, while travelling from Dubai to Turkey, remains in custody in Spain awaiting extradition.
