A "gangster granny" has been sentenced for dealing drugs worth £80million, after being the ringleader of a family-run crime gang, while claiming benefits in excess of £50,000.
Deborah Mason, 65, was taking benefits while being the ringleader of seven people in a drug gang, which was sentenced for a sum total of 106.5 years at Woolwich Crown Court for their involvement in supplying nearly a tonne of cocaine over seven months.
Mason, dubbed "Queen Bee", was part of a drug network which had an estimated value between £23million and £35million and a street worth of £80million.
A group of couriers collected packages of imported cocaine and distributed them across several major cities, including London, Birmingham, Bristol and Cardiff, over the course of April and November 2023.
Met Police
|The 'gangster granny' was sentenced to 20 years in jail
The ringleader spent her profits on cosmetic surgery in Turkey and designer goods.
While others in the gang took their young children to collect the drugs.
Mason, who has been called "gangster granny" by the Met Police, was sentenced to 20 years in prison after being found guilty of conspiracy to supply class A drugs.
She took part in 20 trips and delivered 365kg of cocaine, playing a "leading role" in the gang's operations.
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Judge Philip Shorrock told Mason: "You were effectively the site foreman working under the direction of a site manager.
"You recruited members of your own family - as a mother, you should have been setting an example for your children and not corrupting them."
The prosecutor, Charlotte Hole, said: "All of the offenders participated in a conspiracy which involved the nationwide supply of around a ton of cocaine, collected usually from areas near ports such as Harwich, and delivered across the country.
"Everyone involved had an expectation of significant financial advantage, at least £1,000 per trip. They all had an awareness of the scale of the operation."
Met Police
|The gang delivered hundreds of kilograms of cocaine up and down the UK
When Mason was on holiday in Dubai, her daughter Roeseanne Mason made seven trips delivering around 166kg of cocaine, effectively stepping into the directing role, the court heard.
Anita Slaughter, Lillie Bright, Chole Hodgkin, Demi Bright and Tina Golding all played their roles in the gang, with the group of women either delivering the cocaine up and down the country or separate jobs.
Following the sentence, Robert Hutchinson, the Crown Prosecution Service specialist prosecutor, said: "This was no ordinary family.
"Instead of nurturing and caring for her relatives, Deborah Mason recruited them to establish an extraordinarily profitable criminal enterprise that would ultimately put them all behind bars."
Det Con Jack Kraushaar, who led the investigation, said: "The group were sucked into criminality, selfishly attracted by the financial benefits of the drug-dealing to fund lavish lifestyles.
"They were unaware we were coming for them, and this sentencing should act as a deterrent to those who think about committing this type of crime."