A notorious gun runner and drug smuggler has been found dead in prison, MailOnline can reveal.
Barry Kelly, 32, was just six years into an almost two-decade sentence for Class A drugs and firearms offences when he died at HMP Kirklevington Grange in North Yorkshire on May 25.
Kelly was a Merseyside mobster from a sprawling organised crime group with tentacles across the UK.
When he was just 26, the Liverpudlian was jailed for 18 years after a landmark operation by police in 2019.
The late gangster pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and three firearms offences. He was also implicated in a plot to throw contraband into a prison.
He reported to the infamous Burrows Brothers, who ran the East Side Boys gangs in Speke, and worked with notorious bombmaker Christopher Wallace.
When police started to dismantle Wallace’s underworld armoury in a Wirral garage, they were forced to call in the army to handle a bomb of a similar grade to the one used in the Manchester Arena attack of 2017 that killed 22 people and injured 1,017.
The East Side Boys was a classic Liverpool street gang that ran a network of seedy stash houses and street dealing operations in the warren of streets controlled by their crew.
East Side Boys gangster Barry Kelly, 32, (pictured) was just six years into an almost two-decade sentence when he was found dead in prison, MailOnline can reveal
Kelly’s DNA was recovered from this loaded St Etienne revolver (pictured) that was linked to organised crime
Kelly played a key role in helping the Burrows brothers move guns and drugs around their hometown.
Handguns, shotguns and a hunting rifle were buried in surrounding fields.
The East Side Boys later used the hardware to fight wars with rival drug firms in the towns.
Masked yobs on scrambler bikes roared the gang’s patch, terrifying the majority of ordinary decent people who lived in the area.
At one point, Speke residents were too scared to walk past one particular stash house, for fear of being beaten up in the street.
The police later revealed how the Burrows used some of the more ruthless tactics associated with drug gangs, such as ‘cuckooing.’
This involved bullying and coercing vulnerable people into working for the gang, against their will.
Flare messages were sent out to their customers on graft phones, which promoted the latest batches of drugs and their prices.
The East Side Boys (pictured, gangsters from the mob) is a sprawling organised crime group with tentacles across the UK
Callum Burrows (left) and his brother Jake run the Burrows Organised Crime Group, also known as the East Side Boys
Barry Kelly worked with notorious bombmaker Christopher Wallace (pictured)
At one point Speke residents were too scared to walk past one particular stash house, for fear of being beaten up in the street
The court heard of incriminating text messages between William Troake and Kelly, when the two criminals discussed how sales of cannabis were declining in the Speke area.
Ian Unsworth, prosecuting in 2019, said: ‘In relation to firearms counts, the prosecution say that Barry Kelly was a trusted member of the Burrows OCG and was close to both Callum Burrows and Jake Burrows and was aware of and participated in their acquisition, storage and transfer of firearms.
‘Barry Kelly’s DNA was recovered from [a] loaded St Etienne revolver recovered on the 14th June 2017 in the blue bag that had been concealed in Alder Woods which was discovered by a member of the public walking their dog.’
Kelly was also embroiled in a plot to throw a bundle of items into HMP Hindley, where gang member Jack Ross had been remanded.
Kelly played a key role in helping the Burrows brothers move guns and drugs around their hometown
Handguns, shotguns and a hunting rifle were buried in surrounding fields. The East Side Boys later used the hardware to fight wars with rival drug firms in the town
Masked yobs on scrambler bikes roared the gang’s patch,terrifying the majority of ordinary decent people who lived in the area
Kelly was observed throwing items over a perimeter wall into the prison estate.
However, it was the use of firearms that would contribute to the gang’s ultimate downfall.
In particular, when a Tikka hunting rifle was used to pepper a rival gang’s HQ with bullets, the police started to close in.
When specially trained officers burst into Lee Price’s home, which was a hub for the gang, he darted out of the back door and managed to hop over a couple of garden fences.
Operation Bombay saw cops raid homes across the country, from Merseyside to Cheshire, Plymouth, Nottingham and Staffordshire
Following a series of linked trials, 22 people were sentenced to more than 300 years in jail ring a week-long hearing at Liverpool Crown Court
These guns and bullets were all recovered as part of Operation Bombay, run by Merseyside Police
Kelly was also embroiled in a plot to throw a bundle of items into HMP Hindley, where gang member Jack Ross had been remanded. Pictured: A gun recovered during Operation Bombay
Operation Bombay saw cops raid homes across the country, from Merseyside to Cheshire, Plymouth, Nottingham and Staffordshire.
Following a series of linked trials, 22 people were sentenced to more than 300 years in jail during a week-long hearing at Liverpool Crown Court.
A Prison Service spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘Barry Kelly died in custody at HMP Kirklevington Grange on May 25, 2025.
‘As with all deaths in custody, the Prison and Probation Ombudsman will investigate.’
