Gangland figure Paul Rice refuses to fly in fear of assassination.
GANGLAND figure Paul Rice ignored a direct order to travel to Spain for a summit with the Kinahan gang because of fears he would be assassinated, a source has revealed.
Mobster Rice (44), refused to fly to Spain this month for a ‘sit-down’ with a senior member of the Costa-based drugs gang to discuss the murder of his pal Gerard ‘Hatchet’ Kavanagh. The order came as Rice was snubbed by the mob’s most-senior members at the Matthew Macklin fight in the 3Arena two weeks ago.
The Kinahan brothers failed to speak to the armed robber, even though they were sitting only a few metres apart at the boxing match in Dublin’s city centre. To view this media, you need an HTML5 capable device or download the Adobe Flash player. Get Adobe Flash Player www.adobe.com/go/getflashplayer
Gangland hardman Rice (44), from Tallaght in south Dublin, previously acted as an enforcer for the mob and was seen as being close to Godfather Christy Kinahan senior.
However, a source has claimed Rice fears he is a marked man because of his close friendship with Hatchet Kavanagh, who was gunned down in Spain in September.
Gardai believe Kavanagh may have been responsible for a botched hit on Daniel Kinahan, during which boxer Jamie Moore was shot.
Our source said: “They [the Kinahan gang] didn’t meet Rice at the boxing and never hooked up with him at all while they were over. He was summoned to Spain for a sit-down but he won’t go because he fears he’ll end up with Hatchet.”
Rice and Hatchet were partners-in-crime for more than two decades and were close personal friends.
After Kavanagh moved to Spain in the early noughties, he set up his own drugs importation business with Rice acting as his ‘agent’ in Dublin. However, in recent years the pair had ended up working directly as debt collectors for the Kinahans. Rice was one of the coffin bearers at Kavanagh’s funeral when he was laid to rest in Drimnagh on September 23.
Gardai are investigating if a hitman from the south inner city – who was also responsible for the murder of Christopher ‘Git’ Zambra – was hired to kill Kavanagh. It is believed Hatchet had a falling out with a number of Irish criminals on the Costa del Sol who all wanted him dead.
Underworld sources have revealed that Kavanagh was also accused of pocketing money belonging to the Kinahan gang.
Two years ago he was sent home to Ireland to collect €3m worth of drug debts owed to the Kinahans, who were desperate for money.
There is no proof that he did anything wrong, but it is known that he did not see eye-to-eye with Daniel Kinahan, second-in-command of the mob, who preferred to surround himself with younger criminals.
