‘Gangsta Debbs’ – the granny who used her family to run a drug gang

Early in the morning of April in 2023, secret officials, as a woman, loaded a box in a retail park near Harwich Port in Essex.

They got a hint about the car traveling from Islington that night.

The car was deported to Ipswich, where the woman gave a heavy bag of laundry to an unknown man. He did not look like someone you expect to make a drug agreement – the defense lawyer said, “Surely he was chosen as someone who will not catch his eyes”.

This woman was the family’s Gangsta Debbs or Deborah Mason, known as the queen bee: a grandmother and the kindergarten of a crime family operating in South East England.

Mason hired four children, sisters and others close to his family to supply cocaine throughout the country – financing a generous lifestyle containing Gucci designer products purchased for his cat and 192 £ Bugatti Kettle.

On Friday, the 65 -year -old Woolwich Crown Court was sentenced to 20 years in prison for conspiracy to supply A -class drugs.

The rest of the gang was sentenced to 10 to 15 years for the same accusation.

The Metropolitan Police watched Mason for seven months in Harwich because they completed Cocaine and A -class drugs in Folkstone and Dover, especially in Folkstone and Dover.

The pattern was usually the same. Tightly wrapped cocaine packs will be collected, divided between the lifetime supermarket bags and then delivered to the next person in the chain.

The police watched the gang to leave the gang in South London, Cardiff, Bristol, Sheffield, Rotherham, Manchester, Bradford, Southend, Leicester and Walsall.

Shortly after a period, a man arrested by the police in Leicester was found with 10 kg (22lbs) cocaine. Other trips will collect “fees” as they define.

The prosecutor’s office, wholesale drugs worth £ 25 million in wholesale sale and Friday’s penalty hearing up to 80 million pounds of a street value, he said.

The court has heard that the gang uses nicknames to communicate with each other and with its suppliers – a man known as “Bugsy” – Signal in the encrypted messaging application.

Mason established a close relationship with “Bugsy” and even went on vacation to Dubai and Bahrain in October 2023.

For a period of seven months, Mason made 20 trips carrying at least 356kg cocaine, and also delivered and collected in cash.

Judge Philip Shorrock said Mason had a “leading role” and described him as “Site Major who works under a project manager”.

“As a mother, you should have set an example for your children, without breaking them.” He said.

The court was part of the direction of multi -weight procedures, Mason himself did not take drugs.

Prosecutor Charlotte Hole said: “At the same time organized those who went to him – he stayed on the phone at the early hours to make sure they got up and control them throughout the day.”

The financial gain was motivation, and the police said that Mason had exaggerated, including designer clothes, bags and accessories.

These include a 390 £ Gucci collar and a label of nine carat gold carved for the Bengal cat of Mason Ghost.

When he was arrested, the images showed that he was handcuffed in his bathroom next to a designer DKNY towel.

He also told the court that the conspiracy Mason benefited £ 50,000.

Mason expressed his desire to go to Türkiye for cosmetic procedures and expressed the “cutting of the wages of others”.

With his sister, Cornwall made a holiday reservation to Malta, Prague and Poland and took their daughters to Dubai, where they continued to direct operations in England through Facetime.

Mason, who was rescued in one of the children’s phones under the name of Queen Bee, contained three daughters, son and two of his partners in a conspiracy. Now they all start to prison sentences behind bars. A 44 -year -old friend, Anita Slaughter was also imprisoned.

Mason’s son Reggie Bright delivered at least 90kg of cocaine over 24, 12 trips, usually traveled with his partner Demi Kendall, 31 or his sister Lillie Bright, as well as his mother.

“He used the name of the signal and was clearly known for his upward flow supplier, and it was clearly known, Mrs Mrs. Hole said, the gang added that the gang was paid about £ 1,000 per trip by Mason.

The authority added that Reggie Bright and Demi Kendall had been caught by running a separate drug line from the caravans in the city – violated a previously suspended sentence order given to them for drug -related crimes.

The prosecution argued that Mason’s eldest daughter Demi Bright has an important role in operations and that it offers about 60 kg of cocaine, although it is not as active as other family members.

Mason’s other daughters Roseanne Mason and Lillie Bright were also guilty. 30 -year -old Rosanne Mason, Bradford and Manchester, including seven -identified trip. Lillie Bright made a 20 -defined trip and the court heard that it was “an important financial advantage expectation”.

Lillie Bright included the court’s partner Chloe Hodgkin.

Reduction, each defense lawyer, compared to the wider drug enterprise, compared to the “spendable” and most children were “couriers” trips throughout England.

As expert prosecutor Robert Hutchinson said, this is “no ordinary family”. “Deborah Mason, instead of feeding and cared about his relatives, ultimately hired them to establish an extraordinarily profitable crime business that will put them all behind the bars.”

Ms. Hole said that any of them had no proposal for pressure or coercion to make it a part of the conspiracy, and that they were all motivated by the financial benefit.

The following sentences were given:

• Staplehurst, Kent, 24 -year -old Reggie Bright
• Demi Kendall, 31 -year -old Staplehurst, 13 and a half years
• Ashford, 26 -year -old Lillie Bright from Kent
• Anita Slaughter, 44, Ashford, 13 years
• Demi Bright, 30, Ashford, 11 years
• 29 -year -old Roseanne Mason from Canonbury, North London, 11 years
• Tina Golding, 66, Ashford, 10 years
• Wye, 23 -year -old Chloe Hodgkin from Kent will be sentenced to a later date.

The police, who pioneered the investigation, came together with Det Con Jack Kraushaar and described Mason’s operation as “sophisticated” and said that it was extremely profitable for those involved.

“The group was withdrawn to guilt,” he said, “he withdrew from the financial benefits of drug trade to finance generous lifestyles.”