Cornelius Price (-2023) was an Irish organised crime gang leader.[1] [2] [3] While he lived in Ireland, he lived in Gormanston, County Meath.
He was a father of two children.[1] [2] [3]
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. He is also believed to have ordered a pipe bomb attack on the sister of William Maughan shortly after the latter went missing.
See main article: Drogheda feud. 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]
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]
He died in hospital on 19 February 2023.[1] [2] [3] He was 41 years old.[1] [2] [3]
Gardaí were planning a large policing operation around his funeral.[4] There were concerns that some of his enemies may attend the funeral.[4]