A DRUG DEALER’S wife, who had a €22,000 collection of luxury clothes and funnelled over €100,000 of suspected crime earnings through her accounts, has been handed a one-year prison sentence.

Together, unemployed mother of two, Kathleen Reilly, 28, and four of her husband’s family members in Athlone had a total of €366,000 in “undeclared” earnings and a €30,000 collection of designer clothes.

Carer’s allowance recipient, Christopher Joyce, 51, and his wife Julie Joyce, 50, who is on disability allowance, their sons William, 27, and David Patrick Joyce, 28, and Kathleen Reilly, all of Ardilaun, Athlone, Co Westmeath, had pleaded guilty at Mullingar Circuit Criminal Court to money laundering from 2019 to 2023.

Gardaí examined the finances of the five family members 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 homes.

In Kathleen Reilly’s case, a probation report indicated she was suitable for community service.

A mitigation plea highlighted that she had no prior convictions but had financial pressures related to medical treatment, and she and her husband later moved to Dublin to get away from influences in Athlone. She has not come to any further garda attention.

However, Judge Kenneth Connolly noted that she had a total of €101,485 going through her credit union and bank accounts, and she must have had full knowledge that it was the proceeds of crime, and associated with her husband’s drug dealing.

He remarked that Reilly, who was on Jobseeker’s Allowance, also had €22,245 worth of luxury goods, which were also the subject of the money laundering charges, despite having no employment history.

He held that her role attracted a headline four-year sentence, which he reduced to three years. He stated she was highly culpable and must have known that drugs were the source of the funds. He suspended the final two years, leaving her with a net jail term of one year.

However, post-dated the sentence to allow her to make family arrangements until January 5, when she has to present herself at Mountjoy women’s prison before midday to commence her sentence.

Earlier this week, the three men, including her husband, William, were jailed and “peripheral player” Mrs Joyce was handed a fully suspended sentence.

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

Christopher Joyce was handed a three-year, two-month term. David Patrick Joyce, a roofer and former footballer with a traveller community soccer team, received custodial sentences totalling three years and six months, while his brother William was imprisoned for three years and four months.

The judge described their cocaine related offences as a scourge on the community and noted the “repeated nature of the drug offences and the seeming impunity in which they were operating” as he sentenced the three Joyce men.

He also emphasised they could not explain the funds other than to say there had been insurance claims, but provided no further details.

He noted that Julie Joyce, who had no previous convictions, had serious health issues. He said she used the proceeds to fund the family’s lifestyle, as he fully suspended her three-year sentence on condition she does not reoffend in five years.

The court heard the three men’s activities triggered a probe by Athlone gardaí, involving undercover officers taking part in a series of “controlled” cocaine purchases. That led to warrants to scrutinise the five family members’ finances through their bank, credit union, and Revolut records.

Enquiries revealed that Christopher and Julie Joyce, parents of seven children, had received €165,000 into their separate accounts in Dundalk and Athlone. Some €77,500 went into Julie Joyce’s and the rest into her husband’s accounts.

Christopher had turned to drug dealing as a result of gambling debts and was ashamed, the court heard.

David Patrick Joyce had received €38,294.

William Joyce had received €61,000, and separately, his wife, Kathleen Reilly, had just over €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 Drug Unit 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 in Mullingar.

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 but would not reveal the origin of the cash.

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. He also had a €40,000 caravan, which he claimed he bought for €8,000 because it was damaged.

Judge Connolly also noted the men’s lack of cooperation during their initial interviews with the investigation team. However, they had not reoffended, and the two sons had entered legitimate employment since gardaí questioned them.