Liam Byrne, a significant figure in Irish domestic drug trafficking for the past decade, received a five-year prison sentence from the Old Bailey in London on Tuesday. Considering the time he has already spent in custody and the remission to be applied, Byrne is expected to be released in approximately a year, possibly even earlier. Byrne maintained during the trial that he played a minor role in the firearms conspiracy that has led to his incarceration, a claim met with cynicism by the Garda investigators involved in his case.
One investigator remarked that the chances of Byrne leading a law-abiding life following his release in about a year were “absolutely zero.” Other sources in Dublin indicated that Byrne was likely to be thrilled with his sentence due to the short remaining time he will spend incarcerated.
In contrast to many of his age who exit prison in their 50s with diminished bravado after long sentences, Byrne will not have the same issue given his quick release. However, a source noted that despite having ample contacts and time to reestablish himself in the drug trade, Byrne’s circumstances have significantly changed.
The Byrne crime group, once directed by Liam Byrne from Crumlin and held responsible for the Kinahans’ Irish operations, has now been decimated. Many of its members and operatives paid by it have been imprisoned due to crimes related to the Kinahan-Hutch feud.
Moreover, Byrne has experienced personal losses. His brother, David Byrne, was killed in the Regency Hotel attack in 2016. His father, James “Jaws” Byrne, to whom he was extremely close, passed away recently. The Criminal Assets Bureau has seized Byrne’s property in Raleigh Square, Crumlin.
Sources conjectured that the potential upheaval could indeed unsettle him. Numerous investigators anticipated that Byrne might opt for a return to Dublin upon his release, although there’s also the possibility of relocating to Spain, Dubai, or even the UK. However, no one could foresee him relinquishing his criminal lifestyle to become a spray painter, a claim he vouched for in court.
Law enforcement officials expressed that his imposed jail sentence could have been extended had Byrne’s history as the head of the Kinahan cartel’s Irish division for over a decade been disclosed during his sentencing. Regrettably, there was no mention of his complex criminal history involving the major case spearheaded by the Criminal Assets Bureau, in which the High Court discovered his involvement as a narcotics dealer and as one of the key participants in the Kinahan-Hutch feud.
Furthermore, even Byrne’s previous criminal records seemed to have been incompletely disclosed in the courtroom. It was alleged that his last known conviction, an armed robbery carried out as a teenager, was approximately a quarter of a century ago. Disturbingly, there was no discussion of an additional event where he assaulted a man into an unconscious state with a bat, subsequently threatening to shoot him, an act that lead to his imprisonment.
His co-defendant and brother-in-law, Thomas Kavanagh (57), according to Gardaí predictions, would face considerable difficulty re-establishing his position in the criminal world upon his release. Kavanagh, the former frontman for the Kinahans’ UK branch, was sentenced to a six-year duration on Tuesday for his participation in the firearms conspiracy. Currently, Kavanagh is serving three separate jail sentences, inclusive of a 21-year duration for narcotics trafficking, with his earliest release set for when he will be 67 years old.
A source highlighted, “Being the superior of Byrne in the Kinahan cartel, Kavanagh possesses a stronger resolve, however, considering that he’ll have spent 15 years behind bars and emerge at 67, catching up with all that he has missed during this period will be an uphill task”.