A TEENAGE drug dealer has been jailed after he exploited young people across the town to act as drug runners.

Matteo Crossman was jailed for four years after he used young people to deliver drugs for him across Swindon town centre.

The 19-year-old, who was caught with thousands of pounds of cash and high-value clothing, was more focused on “living a lifestyle he could not legitimately achieve”, according to one of the police officers who investigated his network.

He was jailed for four years at Swindon Crown Court on Monday (March 14).

Swindon Advertiser: Matteo Crossman. Photo: Wiltshire Police.Matteo Crossman. Photo: Wiltshire Police.

Crossman, of Mazurek Way, previously pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cocaine and heroin, as well as possession of cannabis and criminal property.

On December 16, 2021, when he was arrested by officers from Swindon’s Fortitude team, he was found with £3,000 in cash and £2,900 in high-value clothing.

Police had been delving into young drug runners being exploited in the Broadgreen area when the path led back to Crossman.

PC Nick Finning, of the Fortitude team, said after Monday’s sentencing: “Crossman would exploit young people by using them to deliver drugs on his behalf in the central Swindon area, which caused misery to residents and families within the area.

“By exploiting these young people, Crossman was able to live a lifestyle beyond his means with frivolous spending on things such as lavish music videos, which he then paid a company to generate views on to bolster his image.

“Crossman had no regard for the pain and destruction he caused to families involved or the long term consequences on the children he ‘employed’ and was more focussed on the image of himself he was trying to portray, and living a lifestyle he could not legitimately achieve.”

But the three-striker was facing a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years.

Defendants who fall to be sentenced for their third drugs trafficking offence face a statutory minimum sentence of seven years – although speaking at a previous hearing in January, Crossman’s barrister Robbie Ross said there were reasons the mandatory minimum shouldn’t be imposed.

Instead, Record Adam Vaitilingam QC jailed the 19-year-old for four years.

In addition to his prison sentence, the court also ordered the forfeiture of cash and high value clothing seized.