Who are Ireland's top 30 wealthiest Irish criminals?
The unimaginable wealth of some of the criminals on our rich list shows that drugs still provide the mainstay for gangland’s elite.
The cartels are at the top end of the drug spectrum, but for a line of ‘Charlie’ to reach the streets there are many, many others getting rich.
The insatiable appetite for cocaine and other illicit drugs across Ireland has spawned empires which deal in murder and misery. Smuggling and the vice trade is also a great source of wealth to the underworld, where greed turns the wheels of industry.
Here are some of the underworld's richest.
| # | Name: | Net Worth: |
| 30. | Martin Foley | – Net Worth €2 Million |
| 29. | Willie McGinley | – Net Worth €2 Million |
| 28. | Liam Walters | – Net Worth €2 Million |
| 27. | Paul Ward | – Net Worth €3 Million |
| 26. | The Byrne Brothers | – Net Worth €3 Million |
| 25. | Greg Lynch | – Net Worth €4 Million |
| 24. | Brian Mahoney | – Net Worth €5 Million |
| 23. | Graham Whelan | – Net Worth €5 Million |
| 22. | Gerard Hopkins | – Net Worth €6 Million |
| 21. | The Pigeon | – Net Worth €7 Million |
| 20. | Christopher Kinahan | – Net Worth €8 Million |
| 19. | Daniel Kinahan | – Net Worth €8 Million |
| 18. | Paul Rice | – Net Worth €9 Million |
| 17. | James Carabini | – Net Worth €10 Million |
| 16. | Christy Keane | – Net Worth €10 Million |
| 15. | Mr. Big | – Net Worth €10 Million |
| 14. | Stephen Kearney | – Net Worth €10 Million |
| 13. | Matt Kelly | – Net Worth €11 Million |
| 12. | Barry Fitzpatrick | – Net Worth €12 Million |
| 11. | The Businessman | – Net Worth €15 Million |
| 10. | The Smuggler | – Net Worth €16 Million |
| 9. | Martin Morgan | – Net Worth €17 Million |
| 8. | Gerard Hutch | – Net Worth €18 Million |
| 7. | Noel Duggan | – Net Worth €20 Million |
| 6. | Tom McFeely | – Net Worth €20 Million |
| 5. | Tony Linnane | – Net Worth €25 Million |
| 4. | John Cunningham | – Net Worth €50 Million |
| 3. | Christy Kinahan | – Net Worth €50 Million |
| 2. | Thomas Murphy | – Net Worth €60 Million |
| 1. | George Mitchell | – Net Worth €70 Million |
See also:
( Top 20 Notorious Female Gangsters)
( Top 10 Richest Gangsters Of All Time)
( Top 13 Notorious Mexican Drug Lords)
( Top 15 Richest Drug Lords of All Time)
( Top 25 Extremely Notorious Gangsters)
( Top 70 Famous Irish American Gangsters)
( 10 Most Powerful Female Crime Lords Ever)
( Top 10 Most Notorious Female Drug Kingpins)
30. Martin Foley – Net Worth €2 Million
 |
| (Martin "The Viper" Foley) |
Earlier this year his business partner, kidnapper Mick Cunningham, died from a heart attack, just months after the CAB raided his home, taking everything they could get their hands on in lieu of a bill of almost e1m. Foley, who friends say is notoriously mean, still lives in an ordinary council house in Crumlin, but spends a lot of time in Gran Canaria. Over the past five years he has largely stuck to debt collecting.
29. Willie McGinley – Net Worth €2 Million
 |
| (Willie McGinley) |
Best known as the original traveller businessman, Willie McGinley came to prominence after building his fabulous Crystal Manor house on the outskirts of Longford. Every Christmas the property is lit up in a spectacular show of lights.
He built up his wealth as a trader at casual markets, but in recent years was found guilty of dealing in stolen goods. His son Brian was convicted last year of playing a part in an aggravated robbery which targeted the family of a prominent Athlone businessman. Another son, Patrick ‘Toucher’, has been charged with murder in Northern Ireland.
28. Liam Walters – Net Worth €2 Million
 |
| (Liam Walters) |
Walters has reportedly been targeted by dangerous criminal gangs after he handed €600,000 over to the Criminal Assets Bureau.
He has been associated with handling cash for organised criminal outfits based in Dublin and came under the spotlight when two men were caught digging up a seven-figure sum of money just outside Limerick city. The huge seizure of cash has been linked to associates of Walters.
27. Paul Ward – Net Worth €3 Million
 |
| (Paul "Hippo" Ward) |
Paul ‘Hippo’ Ward is suspected of getting back into the drugs business since his release from prison in 2005 and is believed to buy his product from George ‘the Penguin’ Mitchell.
He lives in Leixlip in a plush family home and is suspected of being behind wholesale supplies of cannabis – the same drug that made millionaires of the Gilligan gang in their prime. He has always loved the high life and splashing his drug cash.
26. The Byrne Brothers – Net Worth €3 Million
 |
| (Brothers Liam and David Byrne) |
Brothers Liam and David Byrne, from Raleigh Square, have motored their way up the ranks of the Kinahan mob through loyalty and hard work.
The brothers are based between Spain and Dublin and when home they love to flash their expensive cars and wads of cash. The pair and their father James ‘Jaws’ Byrne have squirrelled their way into the heart of the Kinahan mob through their friendship with Daniel Kinahan.
25. Greg Lynch – Net Worth €4 Million
 |
| (Greg Lynch) |
The mobster lives in an ordinary home in the heart of his territory and splashes out on his horses which he keeps in the Dublin mountains.
24. Brian Mahoney – Net Worth €5 Million
 |
| (Brian Mahoney) |
Drug boss Brian Mahoney and his gangster wife Ciara live in a blinged-up home in Coolock, where they have pumped money into bullet-proof windows and doors and a top of the range security system.
Inside their fortress each room is complete with plasma screens and the best that money can buy. Mahoney is a key member of the Kinahan gang having started out as a driver, but later establishing himself as a legitimate businessman for cover along with mob money man Matthew Dunne.
23. Graham Whelan – Net Worth €5 Million
 |
| (Graham "The Wig" Whelan) |
Exiled drug lord Whelan is believed to be based in Birmingham, where he has amassed a tidy fortune helping distribute drugs and guns across England.
Once seen as a minnow, he became a key member of ‘Fat’ Freddie Thompson’s gang and took over as his boss got caught up in a feud. He left Ireland as he felt Gardai circling in the last four years.
22. Gerard Hopkins – Net Worth €6 Million
 |
| (Gerard Hopkins) |
He was caught with ‘the Penguin’ in 1986 when the pair stole a truckload of meat and were charged with aggravated burglary and false imprisonment. When Mitchell was released he moved into international drug trafficking and became a major supplier into Ireland.
21. The Pigeon – Net Worth €7 Million
 |
| (The Pigeon) |
The criminal known as ‘the Pigeon’ has bought up an impressive property portfolio on foot of a compensation claim he received years ago, but Gardai believe he is actually a prolific drug dealer with links to the Kinahan mob.
The 35-year-old who hails from Dublin’s north inner city runs a number of businesses to front his real operation.
20. Christopher Kinahan – Net Worth €8 Million
 |
| (Christopher Kinahan) |
The younger Kinahan is not seen as being as bright as his brother, but is still a mainstay in his father’s empire.
He is married and lives with his partner and children in the hills of Benahavis overlooking the Spanish coastline. In Ireland he stays in a mansion at Coldwater Lakes which was last owned by companies linked to the Mansfield family.
19. Daniel Kinahan – Net Worth €8 Million
 |
| (Daniel Kinahan) |
The Dapper Don’s son loves to flash the cash on the Costa del Sol, where he has built up a personal fortune from the enormous drug-running empire his father controls.
He owns a plush villa in Estepona and other properties on the Costa, where staff tend to his every need. Friends say he tries to distance himself as much as possible from Oliver Bond council flat he grew up in.
18. Paul Rice – Net Worth €9 Million
 |
| (Paul Rice) |
Gardai say Rice is notoriously mean with his money and, unlike his pal Hatchet, has remained under the financial radar in his ordinary Tallaght home. Rice is currently the subject of a major CAB investigation.
17. James Carabini – Net Worth €10 Million
 |
| (James Carabini) |
Father of two Carabini relocated to Spain after he came under the microscope of CAB.
The Cabra native was arrested 10 years ago during a e200m cocaine bust, but was acquitted at trial. He is believed to be a close associate of George Mitchell and has tight connections with Morocco.
16. Christy Keane – Net Worth €10 Million
 |
| (Christy Keane) |
With the collapse of the Dundon gang, Keane is regarded as the new top dog.
15. Mr. Big – Net Worth €10 Million
 |
| (Mr. Big) |
Mob boss Mr Big has amassed an impressive fortune from drug dealing and tiger kidnappings.
He supplies a large amount of drugs on the northside of the capital and the CAB is soon expected to hit him with a €1.5million bill.
14. Stephen Kearney – Net Worth €10 Million
 |
| (Stephen "The Grandfather of Crime" Kearney) |
The reclusive drug dealer, known as ‘the Grandfather of Crime’, lived for years under the guise of a respectable family man until he agreed to hand over the keys of his plush family home to the CAB.
Kearney built his fortune by working as a sidekick to George Mitchell, but in recent years started dealing directly with Bolivian cartels to bring in massive shipments of cocaine.
13. Matt Kelly – Net Worth €11 Million
 |
| (Matt Kelly) |
The businessman brother of murdered criminal Eamon Kelly settled a e4m bill with CAB in 2002, but managed to hold on to a number of valuable properties. The former ‘Carpetman’ has helped settle his brother’s estate since his death.
12. Barry Fitzpatrick – Net Worth €12 Million
 |
| (Barry Fitzpatrick) |
The former Provo who later aligned himself to the Continuity IRA made a fortune from extortion and security rackets on nightclub and pub doors across Dublin and Wicklow.
Since his recent release from prison he has become a virtual recluse in his bolthole on Brighton Road in Foxrock.
11. The Businessman – Net Worth €15 Million
 |
| ("The Businessman") |
Drug-dealing supremo ‘The Businessman’ runs a key part of the Kinahan outfit in the U.K. He runs a second-hand car scam to transport drugs between Spain, the U.K. and Ireland and regularly returns home to flash his cash in south Dublin. His wife is also a big spender and loves to treat her pals to fancy holidays.
10. The Smuggler – Net Worth €16 Million
 |
| ("The Smuggler") |
The criminal known as ‘The Smuggler’ is estimated to have at least €16m stashed away from his career as a dodgy ‘businessman’. The violent Ballyfermot, Dublin criminal was hit with a tax bill in excess of €2.5m almost 15 years ago, but has clawed back the money many times over. From his Spanish villa base he organises shipments of tobacco and fireworks to the black market.
9. Martin Morgan – Net Worth €17 Million
 |
| (Martin "The Beast" Morgan) |
The Kildare native has swapped Ireland for upmarket Knightsbridge in London after making millions running brothels. ‘The Beast’ ran a tight ship and liked to keep a close eye on the cash.
He was caught red-handed during a Garda operation at a vice den he ran in Dublin in 2005.
A court has ordered he forfeit over €252,000 in assets after it was heard that he made €4m a year from the vice trade.
Judge Frank O’Donnell described Morgan’s business as a “magnificent operation, highly sophisticated and highly rewarding and not a petty little business working on a shoestring”.
8. Gerard Hutch – Net Worth €18 Million
 |
| (Gerard "The Monk" Hutch) |
Hutch was adept at planning and organising robberies on premises and during cash deliveries. He was also an expert in laundering his ill-gotten gains and has gone into semi-retirement recently in Lanzarote.
At home he owns a plush property in Clontarf and is believed to have investments in hotels and pubs across the country.
7. Noel Duggan – Net Worth €20 Million
 | |||
| (Noel "Kingsize" Duggan) |
The country’s top cigarette smuggler has amassed a massive nest egg from flooding the black market with cut-price fags. He has been decades in the business and in 2002 handed over the keys of business premises in Dublin worth €5m to CAB.
He is said to have smuggled everything from toilet rolls to bottles of knock-off booze, but is staunchly anti-drugs.
6. Tom McFeely – Net Worth €20 Million
 |
| (Tom "The Bomber" McFeely) |
Nicknamed ‘the Bomber’, hunger striker McFeely is a devout IRA man turned developer who is famous for bad buildings like Priory Hall.
Despite paying out €8m to CAB in 2006, he bought a €50k Bentley the next day.
He is bankrupt in Ireland, but Gardai believe he has squirrelled away millions – and in true IRA fashion he is suspected of having stashes hidden under floorboards.
5. Tony Linnane – Net Worth €25 Million
 |
| (Tony Linnane) |
4. John Cunningham – Net Worth €50 Million
 |
| (John "The Colonel" Cunningham) |
The Ballyfermot criminal known as ‘the Colonel’ always dreamed of ‘the big one’, but when he was involved in the kidnap of heiress Jennifer Guinness the only thing he got was a long stretch in jail.
After his release he teamed up with Christy Kinahan and they share the helm of Ireland’s biggest drug operation. Cunningham lives with his wife and daughter on the Costa and rarely returns to Ireland.
3. Christy Kinahan – Net Worth €50 Million
 |
| (Christy Kinahan) |
He is estimated to have squirrelled away a personal fortune in properties, yachts and luxury cars, but he is desperate to become Ireland’s first cocaine billionaire. He has young children with a second wife and lives in one of the most exclusive gated developments in Estepona in Spain.
2. Thomas Murphy – Net Worth €60 Million
 |
| (Thomas "Slab" Murphy) |
The Chief of Staff of the IRA Army Council since 1997, Murphy has amassed a fortune while living like an ordinary farmer in Hackballscross, in a property that straddles the border.
Slab, who once topped MI5’s most-wanted list of terror suspects, has made his fortune from smuggling oil, tobacco, animals and grain. He has never married, but is believed to have a string of suitors who are all desperate to bag the underworld’s most eligible bachelor.
1. George Mitchell – Net Worth €70 Million
 |
| (George "The Penguin" Mitchell) |
Mitchell is Ireland’s most elusive and successful drug dealer. Based between Morocco, Spain and Turkey, he directly sources and ships huge consignments of drugs to the Irish and U.K. markets. After three decades at the top of the drugs game he is by far and above Ireland’s richest drug lord.
Mitchell is described as a link man and a facilitator in the international drug trafficking trade who works with other investors from Ireland and the UK who stump up cash for major deals. Mitchell, originally from Ballyfermot, has spent the last 25 years flooding Ireland with cocaine, heroin, cannabis and weapons.
Almost 20 years ago he was already estimated to be worth €10m and had a collection of bullet-proof cars. His cunning has meant he has remained one step ahead of the law – and his rivals.