Athlone family had €360,000 'undeclared' earnings and €30,000 of designer goods

Tom Tuite

Five members of an Athlone family were found to have built up €366,000 in “undeclared” earnings and thousands of euros worth of designer clothes, a court has heard.

Carer’s allowance recipient, Christopher Joyce, 51, and his wife, 50, Julie Joyce, who is on disability allowance, their sons William, 27, and David Patrick Joyce, 28, and William’s 28-year-old wife Kathleen Reilly, all of Ardilaun, Athlone, Co Westmeath, pleaded guilty at Mullingar Circuit Criminal Court to money laundering from 2020 to 2023.

The father and his two sons also admitted drug-dealing charges.

The court heard their activities triggered a probe by Athlone gardaí, which led to warrants to examine the five family members’ finances through their bank, credit union, and Revolut records.

Christian Louboutin, Louis Vuitton, Balenciaga, and Canada Goose dresses, coats, purses, runners and high heels were among the €30,000 cache of designer labels catalogued at their home.

They remain on bail will be sentenced in December.

Judge Kenneth Connolly heard how garda enquiries revealed that Christopher and Julie Joyce, parents to seven children, had received €165,000 in their various accounts.

Christopher had turned to drug dealing as a result of gambling debts and was ashamed, the court heard. His wife had suffered serious health problems.

David Patrick Joyce had received €38,294, William Joyce had picked up €61,000, and mother of two Kathleen Joyce had €101,000 transferred into her accounts over the same period.

The court heard in 2022 that undercover gardaí contacted drug dealers on a particular mobile phone number or through Snapchat. Members of the Westmeath Divisional units sent a series of messages looking to buy drugs.

A garda arrived and met Christopher Joyce at a location in Athlone, and bought about €110 worth of cocaine from him, and another supply valued at €150 about two months later.

David Patrick Joyce, on three dates, sold three deals of cocaine, with a total value of €800.

Unemployed William Joyce sold €300 worth of cocaine to an undercover Garda on three days in 2022, and met him at the Midlands Regional Hospital in Mullingar for these transactions.

William was later stopped while driving and found to have €8,000 in cash. His brother, David, who owned a €16,000 Jeep, told gardaí it was for buying a horse.

David Joyce had maintained he had been awarded about €80,000 over the years as a result of traffic accidents. The court heard he had a caravan worth €7,200 and that he had since started a roofing business.

Parked at the family home were a €35,000 Volkswagen car and a €40,000 Toyota Land Cruiser.