Essex drug dealers lose more than £1m after being jailed
Two men sentenced to a combined 38 years in prison for supplying drugs across Essex have had more than a million pounds in assets confiscated
Two convicted drug dealers have been forced to give up more than £1 million in assets linked to their criminal activity, following a financial investigation by Essex Police.
Simon Renoldi and Iain Green were jailed in 2025 for their roles in a large-scale drug supply operation involving cocaine, MDMA, ketamine and cannabis.
The pair used the encrypted messaging service EncroChat to communicate while supplying drugs across the UK in 2020 and 2021.
Following work by financial investigators, a total of £1,039,748.08 has now been confiscated. Renoldi has lost £430,330.41, while £609,417.67 has been taken from Green.
The money will be distributed between the courts, the Crown Prosecution Service, the Home Office and Essex Police, as well as supporting charitable causes through the Essex Community Foundation.
Police say the funds will help pay for work to prevent crime and improve safety in local communities.
Financial Investigator Mark Finbow, from Essex Police's Proceeds of Crime Team, said:
"It's crucial crime doesn't pay. It's why we work so hard and well after criminals are sentenced to make sure they get no benefit from their ill-gotten gains and deprive them of anything we can prove was the result of criminality.
"In this case we seized cash and highly-valuable assets connected to the suspects, and painstaking work through collected evidence and financial records showed this could only have come from drug dealing.
"This is a million pounds out of the hands of offenders which will make its way to agencies and projects that help people in our county, or even into work to help us stop more criminals."
Lengthy prison sentences
The pair were identified during an investigation by Essex Police's Serious Organised Crime Unit, following an international operation targeting EncroChat.
Renoldi, 55, formerly of High Road in Fobbing, was arrested in June 2021. He was sentenced to 21 years in prison in 2025 for conspiracy offences involving cocaine, ecstasy and other controlled drugs.
Green, 56, formerly of Roland Park Avenue in Westcliff, was arrested the following month. He received a 17-year prison sentence for conspiracy to supply cocaine, ecstasy and cannabis.
Officers found almost £75,000 in cash during searches linked to the investigation, alongside evidence of hundreds of thousands of pounds in further drug-related transactions.
Detective Inspector Yoni Adler, from Essex Police's Serious Organised Crime Unit, said at the time of sentencing:
"We work every day to tackle those involved in organised criminal activities and our message is clear – if you think you can commit crime in Essex and get away with it, you’re wrong and we’ll put you behind bars."
Essex Police says any projects funded through confiscated criminal assets are reviewed by its Proceeds of Crime Act board to ensure public money is used effectively.