Dublin gangster David Waldron loses CAB battle - and must hand over mansion complete with 'man den'

Gangster David Waldron has lost a four year battle with CAB – and must now hand over a luxury mansion and other assets worth E3M.

Cabra based Waldron (48), fought the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) over possession of his homes in Dublin, Kildare and in particular a renovated luxury E1.6M mansion, complete with a ‘man den’ in Co Wexford.

Today Judge Alex Owens found that the properties were all purchased with the proceeds of crime by Waldron, who, he found, is a “major player in the illegal distribution and sale of drugs.”

The judge said he agreed with the Chief Bureau officer that Waldron has been a major player in the distribution and sale of drugs in Dublin since the year 2000 – and that “this activity has been the mainstay of his means, income and lifestyle during this period.

The judgement means Waldron must now hand over his properties after the Judge also concluded that his wife Charlene, who was also named in the proceedings, knew that the purchase of the mansion did not come from legitimate means.

“She cannot but have been aware of the source of her means and of her husband’s means to engage in these activities,” the Judge said in his judgement.

Officers from the Criminal Assets Bureau raided Waldron’s Wexford home

Speaking after the case the Chief Officer of CAB, Detective Chief Inspector Michael Gubbins said it shows why there’s a need for the bureau. “This was an individual who over 20 years amassed well over €3.3 million which they expended on three properties which the Bureau have taken to the High Court and proven their case that these are the proceeds of crime.”

“I think it establishes why the bureau was established and more importantly it sends a message to the community of the value and the work the Criminal Assets Bureau is doing in their area. It’s not just the money we are taking off them but the houses of these individuals.”

During the course of the lengthy proceedings, Waldron claimed to be too broke to pay his own legal team – despite a finding that he splashed E5,000 on his child’s christening.

The court previously heard how Waldron purchased a house in Glenties Park, Finglas in September 2001, and then invested in a second property in River forest, Leixlip, Co Kildare. He then built a 3,000 sq ft mansion in Darview Heights in Co Wexford for an eye watering E1.6M – a build which involved six separate cash transfers using four different people.

The luxury house has its own ‘man den’ – with a bar, with a pool table, gym and scenic views looking over the Wexford countryside. During the course of the case, Waldron’s wife Charlene, who has no involvement in crime, applied to be seen as partial owner of Dareview. She claimed to the court that she had paid for her share through legitimate means. The mansion had E315,000 in renovations carried out on it, while another property in Cabra saw E633,000 spent on it.

David Waldron and wife Charlene

In today’s judgement, the Judge accepted the submissions of the CAB which said Waldron used money from the proceeds of crime to purchase Riverforest and Ratoath Road – and to refurbish them.

The Judge found that David and Charlene Waldron “enjoyed lavish foreign travel which was inconsistent with the manner in which they operated their bank accounts and their sources of legitimate income” up until his imprisonment in March 2015.

He further found that this lavish lifestyle resumed after Waldron was released from prison – and that the couple rarely used their bank accounts to defray ordinary expenditure on daily living.

“David Waldron’s income to fund his lifestyle and most of his expenses of daily living came from undisclosed sources,” the judge said. Money used to buy the site at Darview Heights came from hidden sources and could not be traced back to any legitimate means or income for David or Charlene Waldron, he concluded.

He also found that money from England which Waldron had said he used to purchase a business – was found to be worth little or nothing. The CAB had found evidence that the purported sale by Charlene Waldron of a business for E200,000 was pretence used “as part of an arrangement to launder money which represented proceeds of crime of David Waldron. “

Waldron denied to the court that he was a major criminal and claimed he had decided to go down the country to start a new life away from Dublin between the time of a violent assault he was involved in in 2013 and his imprisonment in 2015.

Waldron claimed that he was only back in Dublin rarely since his move – and on one of these visits in 2018 he received a conviction for possession of drugs.

He had claimed he worked as a handyman in the building industry and also did plastering, block work, carpentry and electrical work. He further claimed he had a small amount of savings which he used to buy Glenties Park. The judge found that Waldron’s explanations did not address information from social welfare records relating to his employment history in the years leading up to the purchase of Glenties Park.

Waldron and his infamous brother Christopher ‘Git’ Waldron were once close associates of slain monster Eamon ‘The Don’ Dunne along with the brothers Wayne and Alan ‘Fatpuss’ Bradley.

For the latest breaking news and top stories, visit our homepage.

Join the Irish Mirror’s breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive breaking news and the latest headlines direct to your phone. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.