Birmingham Airport has second most arrests from the drunk and disorderly to theft and murder

Bounce, a luggage storage firm, revealed that BHX recorded 659 arrests from 2019 to 2021, with 385 of them in 2019 alone.

One of them was of Thomas 'bomber' Kavanagh, a high-ranking member of the Kinahan organised crime group.

The 54-year-old gangster lived with his family in large Tamworth house which has reinforced doors and bulletproof glass – where he ran his criminal drugs empire from.

The raid was part of a wider investigation to dismantle his drugs empire, with National Crime Agency officers also targeting his associates – Dublin-born brothers-in-law Gary Vickery, 39, and Daniel Canning, 43.

The trio all admitted conspiring to import class A and B drugs, and money laundering, while Canning also admitted possessing a firearm and ammunition. Kavanagh was sentenced to 21 years in prison, Canning was jailed for 19 and-a-half years, and Vickery got a 20-year sentence.

Details of the airport arrests were obtained by Bounce after they sent a Freedom of Information request to the police units serving each mainland airport.

Some arrests involved major drug operations where plots were attempted to smuggle narcotics.

Sam Peck, a 44-year-old drug mule, tried to smuggle £280,000 worth of cocaine through Birmingham Airport hidden in the soles of shoes, which he said he had bought for his girlfriend.

The most common reasons for arrest at BHX were warrant-related, as well as assault, theft, drunk and disorderly, or a standard recall to prison.

One person was arrested for being drunk whilst caring for a child under seven. There were five arrests made for murder, and two for attempted murder.

Other arrests include kidnapping, for which three people were arrested, 31 arrests for drug-related crimes, 15 arrests for sexual offences and assaults, and 11 arrests for possessing a firearm.

Between 2019 and 2021, 18 million passengers went through Birmingham airport. In 2020, there were 154 arrests made, with 120 in 2021.

The 659 arrests made in Birmingham were the highest outside London. It was third overall behind Heathrow - 3,262 arrests - and Gatwick - 1,510 arrests - between 2019 and 2021.

More information on the study can be found at usebounce.com/blog/airport-arrests.