Gun smuggler and former socialite Lee Cullen dies after compassionate release from UK prison

Former Dublin socialite and high-end car dealer Lee Cullen has died after a lengthy illness, just weeks after reportedly being granted compassionate release from a UK prison , where he had been serving a 21-year sentence for arms smuggling. Dubliner Cullen, who was pals with the late model Katy French , is understood to have been released in recent weeks on compassionate grounds. He died peacefully at his home following a long illness last Saturday, August 1, a death notice on RIP.ie states. The late model died of a cocaine -induced heart attack in 2007 and she was driving a Land Rover that had been loaned to her by Cullen at the time of her death as her car had broken down. It was this vehicle she was taken to hospital in when she overdosed. Cullen was jailed in 2018 for 21 years in the UK over an arms smuggling plot. That crime came to light after police officers stopped a Vauxhall Insignia in June 2017 and discovered two converted firearms in the boot, along with 25 rounds of ammunition. Cullen, who was then 46, and three other males were arrested. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply prohibited firearms and conspiracy to sell ammunition without being registered under the firearms act. He was jailed for 21 years and eight months. At the time of Cullen and the three other males' sentencing, Stephen Davis, District Crown Prosecutor with West Midlands Crown Prosecution Services said: "The guns were purchased in order to be re-activated and later sold to criminals. "These four men all played a key part in the purchasing and conversion of the firearms and therefore, they all have to take responsibility for the illegal actions which could have put innocent lives at risk." At the time of his imprisonment in the UK, a source told the Irish Mirror : "He had set himself up as a car dealer in the UK but never left his criminal pals. "He is close pals of the Kinahan Organised Crime Group and he was spotted in the company of criminal Thomas Kavanagh who also goes by the name Bomber. "His criminal connections were all associated with being a money man for the gang - particularly in handling dirty money." In the same year he sought an injunction to stop the media from publishing stories that claimed he introduced the tragic beauty to an Irish drug lord. The death notice on RIP.ie states: "It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Lee Cullen on August 1st, 2026, peacefully, at home following a long illness, surrounded by his loving family. "Beloved husband of Jenny and devoted father to Adam and Josh. Lee will be forever loved and sadly missed by his daughters in law Zoe and Lauren, his cherished granddaughters Orlaigh and Ava, his brothers, sisters, extended family, neighbours and his wide circle of friends," the notice added. His funeral mass is due to take place in Clondalkin next Tuesday, August 11. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here