Graham Whelan (Irish criminal)

He was one of three men arrested in the Holiday Inn Hotel in Pearse Street in 2000 for possession of €1.6 million worth of ecstasy tablets and cocaine.[3] He was 17 at the time and told Gardaí that he could do ten years in jail "standing on his head".[3]

The arrests resulted in the Crumlin-Drimnagh feud, in which he sided with Freddie Thompson.[3] He was given a six-year sentence after conviction and Phillip Griffiths was sentenced to seven years. Declan Gavan, the third man arrested, was fatally stabbed a week before his trial was due to start.[3]

In 2006 hitman Gary Bryan was murdered as part of the feud.[3] Whelan was arrested in 2007 in relation to this, but later released without charge, as was David Byrne.[3]

He moved to the UK in 2011 and was connected to Thomas Kavanagh.[3]

He was convicted of grievous bodily harm in Spain in 2016 after a brawl and sentenced to two years imprisonment suspended.[3]

On 31 January 2019 he was arrested in the International Hotel, Ballsbridge.[3] He was found in possession of an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak gentleman's watch and €1,275, both of which were later found to be the proceeds of crime.[3] When asked where he got the money, he replied "up me Swiss roll" and told them to keep the money.[3]

At the Special Criminal Court defence council admitted that he had been "truculent" but that he had since become cooperative.[3]

He pleaded guilty to possession of the watch and cash, knowing them to be proceeds of crime and also of paying €2,140 for a three night stay at the International Hotel, knowing or believing the money to be proceeds of crime.[1][2][3]

In November 2021 he was sentenced to four years imprisonment, reduced to three years because of his early guilty plea and 18 months of the that sentence was suspended.[1][2][3] It was mentioned in court that he had 33 previous convictions, 5 for drug-related offences.[1][2][3]