30/03/2012

Drug Criminal's Girlfriend Ordered To Leave Home

The High Court has ordered the girlfriend of a convicted drug dealer to leave a luxury house built for the couple from the proceeds of his criminal activities.

Avril Boland, 29, has lived in the house at Dromahair, Co Leitrim, since about 2008 with Patrick Irwin, 30, until he was jailed last year for seven years for having €67,000 worth of cocaine at Boyle, Roscommon, in October 2006.

Ms Boland now has until August 15th to lodge an appeal against the High Court order. She will be allowed to remain in the house as a stay on the order has been granted until that date.

Mr Justice Kevin Feeney said the Ms Boland’s evidence about the financing of the property and the bond was contradictory and inconsistent and to a large extent self-serving.

She had a hairdresser’s salary of €300 per week net but lived a lifestyle, including residing in a high-quality house, driving a car and taking foreign holidays which, the court found, was funded by Irwin’s criminal activities.

Her bank account was effectively used to launder Irwin’s criminal funds, he found.

Evidence by Ms Boland that money from a €37,000 road incident compensation payment was used towards the building of the house was not accepted because this happened after the house had been completed, he added.


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