George Mitchell, nicknamed The Penguin, is an Irish criminal originally from

Ballyfermot Ballyfermot () is a suburb town nw of the city aside Dublin, Ireland. It is located, seven kilometres (5 miles) west of the city centre, south of Phoenix Park, it is bordered on the north by Chapelizod, on the south by Bluebell; on the east b ...

. He had an older brother Patrick, who died in January 2020. He is a cousin of

Gay Mitchell Gabriel Alexander Mitchell (born 30 December 1951) is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as Minister of State for European Affairs from 1994 to 1997 and Lord Mayor of Dublin from 1992 to 1993. He served as a Member of the European ...

and Jim Mitchell.

Criminal history

Early criminal history

He started as a driver for

Jacob's Jacob's is a brand name for several lines of biscuits and crackers in the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom. The brand name is owned by the Jacob Fruitfield Food Group, part of Valeo Foods, which produces snacks for the Irish market. ...

but got involved in robberies with associates of

Martin Cahill Martin "The General" Cahill (23 May 1949 – 18 August 1994) was an Irish crime boss from Dublin. He masterminded a series of burglaries and armed robberies, and was shot and killed while out on bail for kidnapping charges. The Provisional Iris ...

Illicit drug dealing

In 1988 he was convicted of stealing a large amount of cattle drench and jailed for five years. While in prison he became interested in the illegal drug trade and within a few years of his release he was the largest supplier of illicit drugs in the country. In the 1990s he was arrested in

Luton Luton () is a town and unitary authority with borough status, in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 census, the Luton built-up area subdivision had a population of 211,228 and its built-up area, including the adjacent towns of Dunstable an ...

by British police while in the possession of £575,000, a downpayment for drugs. The money was seized but Mitchell was released. During this time he built up a large ecstasy processing plant. In 1996 his associate Johnny Doran was caught with £500,000 worth of cannabis at M50 at

Castleknock Castleknock () is an affluent suburb located west of the centre of Dublin city, Ireland. It is centered on the village of the same name in Fingal. In addition to the suburb, the name "Castleknock" also refers to older units of land division: ...

. His gunman Michael Boyle was caught after a botched murder attempt in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, leaving him feeling vulnerable. Concerned that the Gardaí were focusing on him, he moved the centre of his operations to

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

Encrypted phone business

In 2015 Mitchell approached Herman-Johan Xennt about setting up an encrypted phone business. Mitchell had known Xennt since at least 1998, when Mitchell was arrested for handling stolen computer parts. (Xennt has been accused of buying stolen computer parts from Mitchell.)

Links to Hutch and Kinahan gangs

He has had links with the gangs led by

Christy Kinahan Christopher Vincent Kinahan, Sr. (born 23 March 1957) better known as Christy 'the Dapper Don' Kinahan; is an Irish drug dealerBreen, Stephen, "GANGSTERS' PARADISE" ''News of the World'' 21 February 2010 with convictions for ecstasy and heroin ...

and

Gerry Hutch Gerard "Gerry" Hutch is an Irish criminal. He was the prime suspect for two of the biggest armed robberies in Irish history. Known for leading a "disciplined, ascetic lifestyle" since leaving prison in 1985, he was nicknamed "The Monk" by Veron ...

but after the Regency Hotel attack he made it clear to the Kinahan gang that he did not want to be dragged into their feud.

Exclu network

In February 2023 German police announced that he was one of five major suspects behind the Exclu network.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, George People from Ballyfermot Year of birth missing (living people) Irish drug traffickers Irish gangsters Living people Criminals from Dublin (city)