Man jailed after attempting to run from Greater Manchester Police
Austin Kennedy, the final member of a firearms conspiracy group, has been jailed for eight years and seven months after being extradited from Ireland. The group, investigated by Greater Manchester Police's Serious Organised Crime Group in 2018, was involved in supplying a deadly weapon and ammunition. Kennedy fled to Ireland after his co-conspirators were arrested but was eventually extradited and pleaded guilty to transferring a firearm.
Austin Kennedy was jailed for eight years and seven months on Tuesday after being extradited from Ireland for his role in a 2018 firearms conspiracy uncovered by Greater Manchester Police.
The 32-year-old fled the country after detectives from the Serious Organised Crime Group launched a surveillance operation that caught seven co-conspirators transferring a sawn-off Japanese ‘Singer Nikko’ self-loading shotgun into Waqas Farooq’s car. Officers recovered the weapon, digital scales with drug traces and more than £700 in cash during the armed strike, while Jamal Chambers - who attempted to flee - was found with drugs and £500 cash.
Seven men received a combined 75-year prison sentence on 3 October 2019, but Kennedy had already escaped to Ireland after learning of his associates’ arrests. A five-year international manhunt involving Irish authorities and the National Crime Agency ended when Kennedy was extradited on 16 September 2024. He initially pleaded not guilty to transferring a firearm but changed his plea moments before his trial was due to start.
Detective Inspector Rick Castley said the weapon “had the potential to be used by criminals to further their offending, or at worst, had fatal consequences” and praised the “meticulous” cross-border investigation that ensured Kennedy faced justice.
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