Cornelius Price
 | This article's lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points. (February 2023) |
Cornelius Price (c. 1980-2023) was an Irish organised crime gang leader.[1][2][3] While he lived in Ireland, he lived in Gormanston, County Meath.[4]
Family[edit]
He was a father of two children.[1][2][3]
Criminal history[edit]
He was convicted of reckless endangerment by driving a van at a Garda at Balbriggan Garda station – the Garda had to jump out of the way.[1][2][3] Price was sentenced to three years imprisonment for this and was released in May 2019.[1][2][3]
He was a chief suspect in the death of Benny Whitehouse and also in the disappearances of William Maughan and Anna Varslavane.[1][2][3] He was believed to have lured the couple to his residence in Gormanstown, where they were murdered.[4] He is also believed to have ordered a pipe bomb attack on the sister of William Maughan shortly after the latter went missing.[4]
Drogheda feud[edit]
Gardaí believe that he was the leader of one of the gangs in the Drogheda feud.[1][2][3] His gang is known as the Price-Maguire organised group, which has close ties with several other gangs, including the McCarthy-Dundon gang from Limerick.[1][2][3] The feud led to four deaths.[1][2][3] The first was that of Keith Brannigan at Aisling Holiday park in Clogherhead, County Louth.[1][2][3] Robbie Lawlor, a rival of Price, ordered the murder of Keane Mulready-Woods.[1][2][3] Lawlor was himself shot dead three months later, with suspicions that associates of Price, as well as criminals from Limerick, being responsible.[1][2][3] A video of Price toasting the death of Lawlor circulated on social media.[1][2][3]
United Kingdom[edit]
Price left Ireland for the Midlands of the United Kingdom after the death of Mulready-Woods.[1][2][3] He was involved with the kidnapping and drugging of two brothers, who were forced to call their relatives for a £300,000 ransom.[1][2][3] They were rescued by armed police.[1][2][3] Darren McClean was convicted in relation to the offence.[1][2][3] Price was also charged in relation to the kidnapping, but was deemed too ill to go to court.[1][2][3] He was admitted to hospital with limbic encephalitis in Wales in 2021.[1][2][3]
Death[edit]
He died in hospital on 19 February 2023.[1][2][3] He was 41 years old.[1][2][3]
Funeral[edit]
Gardaí were planning a large policing operation around his funeral.[4] There were concerns that some of his enemies may attend the funeral.[4]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Reynolds, Paul (20 February 2023). "Cornelius Price: The life and death of a crime boss". RTÉ News. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Gallagher, Conor (20 February 2023). "Notorious Irish gangland figure Cornelius Price dies in UK". Irish Times. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t O'Connor, Niall (20 February 2023). "Cornelius Price – Drogheda gang leader suspected of multiple murders – dies in Welsh hospital". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
- ^ a b c d e Gallagher, Conor (22 February 2023). "Cornelius Price death: Large-scale Garda operation expected at funeral". Irish Times. Retrieved 28 February 2023.