Officers of the Redding Police Neighborhood Police Unit are becoming well versed in the who’s who of Redding drug dealers. Sharing information with patrol officers, the Shasta County Inter-Agency Narcotics Task Force, deputy sheriffs, citizens, and business owners is providing the proactive police unit a plethora of information on criminal activity. Such was the case this week when officers of the NPU saw and recognized a known heroin dealer on Market Street. Robert Lee Cronin-Mills, 25 years old, is on active probation in Shasta County for selling heroin and was contacted at about 3 PM. He was detained and searched incident to his probation terms and found in possession of a large amount of heroin, a significant amount of cash, packaging, and scales. Although unemployed, Cronin-Mills tried to convince officers the cash money was earned from stacking firewood for his grandmother in Shingletown.
Once confronted with the evidence, and that officers were not buying his story, Cronin-Mills admitted he sells heroin to pay bills and to support his own heroin addiction. He stated he uses around 3 grams of heroin a day, seven days a week, at a cost of about $8,400.00 a month. To support his drug habit, Cronin-Mills has been drug dealing to turn the profits into supporting the cost of his drug addiction and provide himself spending money. He claims he conducts about $15,000.00 – $20,000.00 a month in drug deals in Redding. He spends a lot of that on his own drug addiction, paying court fines, renting motel rooms, and buying food. He also gives money to his girlfriend with whom he has a child, to help them with living expenses.
Cronin-Mills lives in Shingletown and commutes to Redding daily in his grandmother’s vehicle to continue his criminal enterprise. Cronin-Mills was also arrested in May of 2016 by the NPU for drug sales and violation of probation. During that arrest, NPU impounded his personal vehicle to deter him from traveling to Redding to commit crimes. In July 2016 Cronin-Mills was arrested as one of Shasta County’s Most Wanted by the NPU for failing to appear in court and having a felony arrest warrant. In August, Cronin-Mills was remanded in a court hearing and placed on Supervised O.R., and then released. Back in May of 2015, Cronin-Mills was arrested by the Redding Police Department for possession of heroin and violation of probation. In July 2015, he was arrested by the California Highway Patrol in Redding for possession of heroin, possession of methamphetamine, and violation of probation.
Cronin-Mills was placed in custody at Shasta County Jail for possession of heroin for sales, and violation of probation. His grandmother’s vehicle was impounded and will hopefully prevent him from traveling to Redding to commit crimes should he be released from jail again.
