Two arrests linked to an Irish crime clan in Spain and neighboring islands
National police in Spain detained two men in a joint operation tied to the Kinahan organization, a well-known Irish crime clan that has shifted its activity to the Costa del Sol over the past decade. Authorities allege the group operates as an international network focused on drug trafficking and other illicit activities. The arrests were confirmed by the National Crime Agency, which has long tracked the Kinahans as part of broader efforts to curb organized crime that crosses borders. In Malaga, the person taken into custody was identified as Jack Kavanagh, a 22-year-old from Tamworth, Staffordshire. He was arrested at the Malaga-Costa del Sol airport after arriving from Dubai, with plans to continue onward to Turkey. The operation underscores the ongoing concern about foreign-based criminals using Spanish travel hubs to move between continents and maintain criminal networks.
Another focal point of the day’s actions occurred in a Mallorcan town, Alcudia, where authorities targeted a figure connected to the same network. The individual, Liam Byrne, a 42-year-old from Dublin, is alleged to have led an operation centered on firearm smuggling within the country. Byrne is reported to be the brother of a man linked to the 2016 Regency Hotel attack in Dublin, a high-profile episode in the long-standing conflict between rival Kinahan and Hutch factions. Authorities say Byrne had fled to Dubai to avoid Irish authorities and to manage operations remotely, sometimes attempting to communicate with relatives without detection. The Spain-based actions are part of a wider effort to dismantle firearms and drug-trafficking routes that stretch from the Middle East to Europe, and then to the Americas, highlighting the global reach attributed to this network.
Pistol and submachine gun orders
Official statements from police headquarters describe a coordinated effort led by Byrne to acquire firearms and then distribute them to other groups involved in organized crime. Investigators allege that a portion of the firearms came from private sellers and were designed to evade fingerprint-based tracking, complicating law enforcement’s ability to link purchases to specific crimes. In one reported case, authorities uncovered an order for 14 firearms placed by a single organization, suggesting a scale of operation that went beyond isolated incidents and into a structured supply chain for violent crime. This portrayal reflects a pattern seen in other investigations where illicit arms networks rely on discreet procurement channels to fuel a cycle of violence and criminal activity.
The National Crime Agency and related authorities have also identified a substantial cache of small arms, submachine guns, and ammunition concealed in a hidden storage facility. The discovery points to a broader network that uses multiple jurisdictions and hidden locations to store equipment before it is moved to other regions or sold to partners in the crime economy. The collaboration among agencies across the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland continues to be a key element in uncovering these hidden arsenals and preventing potential attacks, gang confrontations, or large-scale criminal operations. The case illustrates how criminal groups adapt their methods to exploit gaps in international law enforcement coordination, and how investigators respond with cross-border intelligence sharing and targeted arrests.