Notorious gangland figure Cornelius Price has been cremated in the UK following a private family service this morning.
The mobster, who is a suspect in at least four murders including the killings of WIllie Maughan and his pregnant partner Ana Varslavane, died on Sunday, February 19 after he contracted a brain disease in October 2021.
This morning, a private funeral service was held in Rochdale Cemetery in the Greater Manchester area where a large circle of family members, relatives and friends were in attendance.
Extended family members of the gang boss left Balbriggan and other parts of the country and travelled by ferry to the UK on Saturday evening to attend this morning’s funeral service.
There were rumours the Drogheda mob boss’s funeral was to take place in Balbriggan, north county Dublin were he lived for numerous years before purchasing his 0.4 hectares compound in nearby Gormanston.
Gardai were closely monitoring details of Price’s funeral as an extensive policing operation would have had to be put in place to prevent revenge attacks or violence because Price had numerous enemies including criminals.
These include associates of Price’s rival serial killer 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.
The feared gang boss’s private Rochdale funeral service and burial this morning came despite Price’s daughter Alisha posting to social media last week that “my father Nailyboy Price’s funeral is taking place in Ireland.”
“No matter what anyone else thinks, God knows his heart and that is all that matters,” Alisha wrote last week. “Be back in Ireland soon on his own turn for the greatest and biggest send off you’ll ever see. What he deserves.”
But later, Alisha contacted this reporter to say the funeral “is private and no-one knows when or where it’s happening. The only thing people know are assumptions. It’s no one’s business but his family. We just want peace.”
Alisha also requested on social media that those in attendance at her dad’s funeral not take any photos or post any videos to social media.
Several of Price’s supporters took to social media after the service writing: “He really did have the best send off,” while another wrote: “Yous done him very proud.”
Another posted a photo of three bottles of Stella Artois beer and two cans of Captain Morgan and coke mixture on their lap after the service with the caption: “Legend of a man. RIP Cornelius Price yup yup.”
Last Tuesday, up to 20 supporters of the feared gang boss gathered at the top of the laneway 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.
Streams of the Tricolour flags were also 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.
Several supporters raised a toast to the feared mobster by drinking shots of Captain Morgan’s rum which is believed to 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.
Gardai believe depraved mobster Price was directly behind the ruthless murders of tragic Willie and Ana 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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