Gardai continue to closely monitor funeral arrangements for notorious gangland figure Cornelius Price - who died nearly two weeks ago in a Welsh hospital - amid rumours his funeral may take place in the UK.
Price, who is a suspect in at least four murders including the killings of Willie Maughan and his pregnant partner Ana Varslavane, died after he contracted a brain disease in October 2021.
Although gardai have not yet been officially informed if the Drogheda gang boss’s funeral is to take place here, officers are closely monitoring details.
An extensive policing operation will have to be put in place if the gang boss’s funeral does take place in Balbriggan, north county Dublin where he had lived for numerous years before purchasing his 0.4 hectares fortified compound in nearby Gormanston.
The event will cause significant security concerns for gardai to prevent revenge attacks or violence because Price had numerous enemies including criminals.
These include associates of Price’s rival Robbie Lawlor, who was shot dead in Belfast in 2020 in revenge for the murder of 17-year-old Keane Mulready-Woods as part of the violent Drogheda feud.
However, the close monitoring comes amid rumours that he will possibly be buried in England instead over the coming days as relatives and friends gathered near his compound on Tuesday evening to wake the gang boss.
There will be less of a headache for gardai if his funeral and burial take place in Rochdale, Manchester in the UK where many of his relatives are based.
"There is no official word as yet as to where his funeral is taking place. There has been talk by family that it will be in Balbriggan and others claim it will be in Rochdale but as of yet no-one officially knows," a source told The Irish Mirror.
"Close monitoring is taking place by gardai but so far there it is still unknown where and when the funeral will take place," the source continued.
On Tuesday evening, up to 20 supporters of the feared gang boss gathered at the top of the lane way to his heavily fortified compound on the R123 in Gormanston where they placed a large banner with the words “Back to Home Turf” painted onto it. Numerous bouquets of flowers and balloons were also placed at the lane way along with a bottle of champagne.
Videos of the event shared on social media showed streams of the Tricolour flags placed along bushes with tributes written on them to the gang boss from “Rest in Peace” to “See you in the next life” and “Captain Morgan,” while music blared from a large speaker.
Those present raised a toast to the feared mobster by drinking shots of Captain Morgan’s rum in what may have been a reference to Price drinking a shot of the same rum in a video that was widely circulated of the notorious mobster celebrating the death of his sworn enemy Robbie Lawlor.
Lawlor, who murdered and dismembered Drogheda teen Keane Mulready-Woods in January 2020 was shot dead in Belfast in April that same year.
And while a squad car drove slowly past several were heard shouting “F**k, f**k the gardai.”
Gardai believe the depraved mobster was directly behind the ruthless murders of tragic Willie, 34, and Ana, 21, on April 14, 2015. It is believed Price ordered their murders and the subsequent disposing of their remains which have never been recovered.
Gardai suspect Willie and Ana were murdered because he had too much information about the murder of Benny Whitehouse, a 36-year-old man who was shot dead in Balbriggan in September 2014 in front of his partner moments after he dropped his child to school. Price’s gang is also suspected of that murder.
The 41-year-old fled his fortified compound in 2020 amid the violent Drogheda feud and it is understood that Lawlor had issued threats against Price.
While in the UK, Price became involved with several others in a plot to kidnap and blackmail two men in London.
However, he was diagnosed with the brain illness a short time later and admitted to hospital, meaning his trial never took place.
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