Ex-rugby league player turned plumber Raymond Vitolio Junior Crichton, jailed over role in drug operation
A former rugby league talent turned apprentice plumber has been jailed after ferrying speed and ice on behalf of an alleged Sydney dealer. Here’s what happened in court.
A former rugby league talent turned apprentice plumber has been jailed after ferrying speed and ice on behalf of an alleged Sydney drug dealer.
Raymond Vitolio Junior Crichton, 25, faced Judge Jonathan Priestley in Lismore District Court on Wednesday.
He has been convicted of three counts of supplying a prohibited drug not less than a large commercial quantity after co-ordinating exchanges for vast amounts of cash and goods peddling MDMA and pseudoephedrine.
The court heard Crichton offended over a concentrated period of less than two months, between May 18 and July 13, 2023.
His offending involved co-ordinating supplies via “Threema,” an encrypted platform, alongside alleged co-offender Ammar Chahal, whose case is still proceeding before the courts.
The court heard supply involved large quantities of illicit substances; 991.85g of MDMA, 995.79g of MDMA, and seven kilos of pseudoephedrine.
The supplies were highly lucrative, with two MDMA exchanges involving $50,000 in cash each, and the pseudoephedrine involving cash and cigarettes with a cost or price approaching $400,000, the court heard.
The offender’s involvement saw him setting the time and location for several meeting points in areas like Regents Park and Barela, acting as the primary point of physical exchange for drugs and money.
The court heard Crichton grew up in a supportive family, with three full siblings being two brothers and sister and three older half siblings. He has a positive relationship with all of his family.
He attended Matraville sports high school on a scholarship due to his rugby league talent and finished his high school years 10, 11 and 12 at Westfield Sports High School.
He played with the St George Illawarra Dragons when he left school and later switched to rugby union, the court heard.
In a psychologists report to the court, Crichton said he played league for 18 months and union for two to three years, discontinuing it not long before his offending.
This was consistent with the pro social aspects of his life deteriorating at that time, the court heard.
The Crown argued that Crichton performed a “significant function” and held a “position of trust” within the alleged criminal enterprise.
The prosecution also pointed out the need for general deterrence and protection of the community, given the seriousness of the offences.
Defence counsel Amarande Chauvet, sought mitigation, categorising Crichton simply as a “courier”.
She noted his inexperience, as shown by him attending one exchange in a car registered in his name.
Ms Chauvet highlighted his lack of prior criminal history, strong family support, positive rehabilitation prospects, and deep remorse.
The court heard Crichton suffered from untreated PTSD and depression, symptoms compounded by financial pressure following job loss.
Yet the Judge concluded Crichton was a “highly trusted courier” with a “degree of autonomy in managing logistics”.
Although objectively serious, the Judge found the offending was “below the middle of the range of seriousness”.
He accepted Crichton’s claim he strictly adhered to bail conditions, leading him to be effectively under house arrest for 14 months.
Mr Priestley also found special circumstances, noting that Crichton would benefit from extended supervision to ensure he sought treatment for his psychological issues.
Crichton was convicted and sentenced to an aggregate of six years imprisonment backdated to August 16, 2024.
He will be eligible for parole on February 15, 2028.
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Originally published as Ex-rugby league player turned plumber Raymond Vitolio Junior Crichton, jailed over role in drug operation
