Birmingham Airport Arrest Leads To Firearm Charge

14 January 2019, 05:28 | Updated: 14 January 2019, 09:12

A 51-year-old man who was arrested as he arrived at Birmingham Airport has been charged with possessing a firearm.

Thomas Kavanagh, of Tamworth, Staffordshire, was detained at the airport on Saturday (12 January) as part of a National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation into the supply of drugs and firearms in Ireland and the UK.

Kavanagh was arrested on suspicion of conspiring to import and supply drugs, firearms and ammunitions, as well as money laundering, the NCA said.

NCA officers, supported by colleagues from An Garda Siochana, Ireland's National Police and Security Service and Staffordshire Police, conducted a number of searches and recovered a combination torch and stun gun, which is illegal to own and possess in the UK.

Kavanagh has now been charged with possession of a Section 5 firearm, remanded in custody and will appear at North Staffordshire Magistrates' Court on Monday (14 January).

The NCA said a 20-year-old man arrested alongside Kavanagh at Birmingham Airport has been released under investigation.

A third man, aged 19, was also arrested and released under investigation.