A man from Barrow who sent messages to a fellow drug dealer claiming to have sold £750,000 worth of cannabis in eight months has been jailed at Preston Crown Court.
Brandon Crozier, aged 28, was sentenced today (21 May) after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing to the following charges:
- Being concerned in the supply of Class A (cocaine) and Class B (cannabis)
- Possession of criminal property – money laundering
- Possession of cocaine
- Possession of cannabis
- Possession of an offensive weapon
The court heard how Crozier was initially arrested on suspicion of money laundering on 5th May 2023 after officers stopped a car he was travelling in and found cash during a search of the vehicle.
Crozier’s home address was then searched, where officers were able to locate a further a large quantity of cash with Crozier’s fingerprints on and a spring-loaded baton.
Other items indicative of drug supply were also found including a notebook containing sums of profits and an iPhone with social media accounts in the name of Crozier, created explicitly for drugs supply in Barrow.
Following an investigation, codenamed Operation Finesse by Cumbria’s Community Serious and Organised Crime unit, Crozier was rearrested on 30th August 2023 where he made a comment about there being ‘more cash in the house’.
During the search of his address on 30th August more cash was seized as well as cocaine and a mobile phone containing numerous communications with sub-dealers outlining the extent of Crozier’s criminal activity. Crozier was evidenced supplying individual sub-dealers with up to quarter-kilogram amounts of cocaine at a time, and a message from the day prior to his arrest was recovered from the phone in which Crozier complained he’d supplied £750,000-worth of cannabis for his upstream suppliers but was under pressure to sell more.
During the investigation officers recovered £13,630 in cash which will be forfeited under the Misuse of Drugs Act.
The seizure and investigation forms part of Operation Alliance – Cumbria Constabulary’s ongoing response to protect the county against serious and organised crime.
A spokesperson from Cumbria Police’s Community Serious Organised Crime unit said: “Today’s sentencing is a great result for the team.
“Crozier accumulated a significant amount of money through dealing drugs. The items and cash seized when officers stopped him and searched his home clearly demonstrated his role in drug supply activity in Barrow.
“We hope this sentence sends a clear message to those involved in the supply of illegal drugs.
“Cumbria Police are committed to tackling serious and organised crime and we will we make Cumbria a hostile environment for those who commit crime here.
“We have contempt for the act of criminality, which has no place in our communities.”
