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Dean Criscuolo, 35, Christopher Brooks, 31, Kerran Boylan, 32, and Ben Dalton, 33, were sentenced today, (31 May), at Guildford Crown Court after all pleading guilty to multiple drugs offences at an earlier hearing.
They were arrested in April last year after they were identified as being part of the criminal network as a result of Operation Venetic, the NCA-led UK law enforcement response to the takedown of encrypted comms platform EncroChat.
Following the intelligence work from the NCA, the information gathered was passed over to individual police forces, including Surrey Police’s Serious Organised Crime Unit.
Further enquiries revealed that the men had been dealing drugs to vulnerable users across Surrey, Sussex, and parts of London.
A warrant was executed on Tuesday, 27 April 2021, at an address linked to Dean Criscuolo in Godstone, where several items, including phones and around £500 cash, were seized. Criscuolo was identified as the leader of this serious organised crime group, effectively running the illegal business, and negotiating wholesale drug supply to other drug dealers in the county.
One of these dealers was Kerran Boylan, and when a further warrant was executed at Boylan’s address in Oxted, searching officers discovered a large quantity of white powder as well as £1,780 in cash.
Further investigative work on phones and vehicles brought Ben Dalton into the investigation, who was identified as also working for Dean Criscuolo as a dealer.
Christopher Brooks was involved as the individual who was in charge of mixing the cocaine to increase available quantities for drug dealers to sell.
The men were all charged with multiple drug related offenses.
All four men appeared at Guildford Crown Court for sentencing, with Dean Criscuolo being sentenced to 13 years and 6 months in prison. Christopher Brooks was given 7 years and 1 month. Kerran Boylan was given 7 years and 8 months, with Ben Dalton ordered to spend 6 years and 9 months behind bars.
Detective Constable Arun Sharma, who was the investigating officer in this case, said: “Operation Venetic provided the breakthrough we needed when it came to identifying those involved in serious organised crime, including drug dealing.
“This group of men, particularly Criscuolo, were making thousands by selling drugs to vulnerable users and were disguising themselves as reputable men, working as barbers and electricians.
“This case is one of many that Surrey Police’s Serious Organised Crime Unit has been dealing with in an ongoing bid to tackle drug related crime in the area.”
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