Environment Agency prosecutes firm for Lincolnshire waste dump
She added: "We will take enforcement action to protect the environment, people and legitimate businesses."The agency said Berry, the sole director of SBR Foxhills, took control of Thorpe Farm in April 2021, but had no environmental permit or authorisation to store or treat waste.Berry moved baled waste, which had been stored in a building, on to a concrete pad on the site and left it to rot after it was exposed to the weather.
The agency said that, despite attempts to work with Berry, the waste remained at the site before legal action was taken in 2022.At the hearing last Wednesday, Berry was told he would be subject to a curfew between 21:00 and 05:00 for three months. Berry was ordered to pay £5,000 costs and a surcharge of £154, while SBR Foxhills Limited was fined £20,000, ordered to pay costs of £29,626.35 and a £190 surcharge.Berry and his company were given a confiscation order of £45,000 for the recovery of the proceeds from the crime.
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The Independent
4 minutes ago
- The Independent
Ringleader ‘gangster granny' jailed for dealing drugs worth £80m
A family-run gang led by a 65-year-old 'gangster granny' has been sentenced for dealing drugs with a street value of £80 million across the UK. Deborah Mason, dubbed 'Queen Bee', and seven other members of the gang, were sentenced to a total of 106.5 years at Woolwich Crown Court on Friday for their involvement in supplying nearly a tonne of cocaine over seven months. The drugs had an estimated wholesale value of between £23 million to £35 million and a street value of £80 million. A group of couriers collected packages of imported cocaine and drove them all over London, as well as Bradford, Leicester, Birmingham, Bristol and Cardiff, between April and November 2023. Ringleader Mason spent her profits on designer goods and was looking to go Turkey to have cosmetic surgery, while young mothers who were part of the gang took their young children to pick-ups. Mason, who was in contact with an upstream supplier called 'Bugsy', was found guilty of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and sentenced to 20 years in prison. 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 judge noted that several of the women have young children but said their involvement in the drug network only 'makes it easier for unscrupulous' dealers to seek to recruit mothers. Earlier, prosecutor Charlotte Hole said: 'All of the offenders participated in a conspiracy which involved the nationwide supply of around a metric tonne of cocaine, collected usually from areas near ports such as Harwich, and delivered across the country to Bristol, Cardiff, Sheffield, Bradford and so on.' She added: 'Everyone involved had an expectation of significant financial advantage, at least £1,000 per trip, and it is one of the most significant parts of the motivation of the conspiracy. 'They all had an awareness of the scale of the operation.' Deborah Mason played a 'leading role' and was 'top of the organisation and provided cocaine for the upstream supplier known as Bugsy'. She took part in 20 trips, delivering 356kg of cocaine, and also made trips to deliver and collect cash. She was in 'close contact' with the upstream supplier using an encrypted app, which had auto-deletion of messages set up, 'designed to keep the operation secret and messages deleted'. Ms Hole said: 'She (Deborah Mason) recruited both her family members – her sister and her children – as well as partners and friends of her children, to a network of at least 10 individuals.' She also organised those who drove for her, staying in phone contact from the early hours to make sure they were up, and checking in on them during the day. She did not use pressure or coercion to woo her family into the gang, as they were 'motivated by financial benefit'. The court heard she was in receipt of in excess of £50,000 per year in benefit income during the conspiracy period, while acting as ringleader and spending lavishly on luxuries. Ms Hole said: '(You) will recollect the messages seen during the trial with reference to her photographing large amounts of cash, and referring to making £90,000 by the end of the year, as well as her lavish spending on designer goods and expressed intention to travel to Turkey to have cosmetic surgery procedures.' When Mason was on holiday in Dubai, her daughter Roeseanne Mason, who made seven trips delivering about 166kg of cocaine, stepped in to the directing role, the court heard. The prosecution said Roeseanne Mason collected cash for her mother and also 'provided childcare so that others could work'. Mother-of-two Demi Bright made a single trip in August 2023 which involved 60kg of cocaine. She took her children with her on the two-day trip, which involved an overnight stay in a hotel. She agreed to deliver more drugs in November 2023 but dropped out. It appears she stepped back from the drug plot after her sister Roeseanne Mason was arrested, 'saying she wanted to go straight but she continued to help her mother in the organisation and was aware of its scale', the court heard. The prosecution said that 'most significantly' she recruited Anita Slaughter to the gang, whom she offered work on a daily basis. Lillie Bright was involved in 20 trips involving 195kg of cocaine. Her partner Chloe Hodgkin, 23, of Abbots Walk, Wye, Kent, is awaiting the birth of her baby and is to be sentenced at a date to be set. Ms Hole said: 'The two of them took Lillie Bright's son with them, who was two at the time, in a car with cardboard boxes containing kilogrammes of cocaine.' Lillie Bright also had 35g of cocaine she offered for sale, the court heard. Reggie Bright's 12 trips as part of the gang delivered at least 90kg and there were times he collected wages for the group. He usually took trips with his partner, Demi Kendall, 31, telling her 'not to get the hump because we need the money', the court heard. He had been a cocaine user and an addict since his teens and had a brain injury as a result of his misuse. He claimed he did not know where the drugs were coming from, but encrypted messages on the Signal app show this was not true. Ms Hole said: 'He used the Signal alias Frank and was clearly known to, and in direct contact with, the upstream supplier.' Demi Kendall carried out 15 trips involving 98kg of cocaine, and 'often' took her toddler with her in a car. She also recruited her friend, and later, talking about the plot, told her 'you'd get years if u got stopped with the amount that we carry – serious jail time'. Tina Golding made four trips and delivered at least 75kg of cocaine. She collected at least £10,000 in wages. Anita Slaughter took part in a single trip, which amounted to 55kg across four drops, in October 2023. Roseanne Mason, 29, of Canonbury, north London, and Demi Bright, 30, of Ashford, Kent, were each sentenced to 11 years imprisonment. Lillie Bright, 26, of Ashford, Kent, was sentenced to 13 years, and Demi Kendall, 31, of Staplehurst, Kent, was sentenced to 13 years and six months imprisonment. Reggie Bright, 24, of Staplehurst, Kent, was sentenced to 15 years, and Tina Golding, 66, of Ashford, Kent, was jailed for 10 years. Anita Slaughter, 44, of Ashford, Kent, was sentenced to 13 years imprisonment. After sentencing Crown Prosecution Service specialist prosecutor Robert Hutchinson 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.' Met Detective Constable Jack Kraushaar, who led the investigation, described it as 'a sophisticated operation'. He added: '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.'
The Independent
34 minutes ago
- The Independent
Crime gang headed by ‘gangster granny' jailed for dealing drugs worth £80m
A family-run crime gang, with a 65-year-old 'gangster granny' as its boss, has been sentenced for dealing drugs with a street value of £80 million across the UK. Deborah Mason, dubbed 'Queen Bee', and seven other members of the gang, were sentenced to a total of 106.5 years at Woolwich Crown Court on Friday for their involvement in supplying nearly a tonne of cocaine over seven months. A group of couriers collected packages of imported cocaine and drove them all over London, as well as Bradford, Leicester, Birmingham, Bristol and Cardiff, between April and November 2023. The drugs had an estimated wholesale value of between £23 million to £35 million and a street value of £80 million. The ringleader spent her profits on designer goods and was looking to go Turkey to have cosmetic surgery, while young mothers who were part of the gang took their young children to pick-ups. Deborah Mason, dubbed 'gangster granny' by the Metropolitan Police, who directed other members of the gang and was in contact with an upstream supplier called Bugsy, was found guilty of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and sentenced to 20 years in prison. 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 judge noted that several of the women have young children but said their involvement in the drug network only 'makes it easier for unscrupulous' dealers to seek to recruit mothers. Earlier, prosecutor Charlotte Hole said: 'All of the offenders participated in a conspiracy which involved the nationwide supply of around a metric tonne of cocaine, collected usually from areas near ports such as Harwich, and delivered across the country to Bristol, Cardiff, Sheffield, Bradford and so on.' She added: 'Everyone involved had an expectation of significant financial advantage, at least £1,000 per trip, and it is one of the most significant parts of the motivation of the conspiracy. 'They all had an awareness of the scale of the operation.' Deborah Mason played a 'leading role' and was 'top of the organisation and provided cocaine for the upstream supplier known as Bugsy'. She took part in 20 trips, delivering 356kg of cocaine, and also made trips to deliver and collect cash. She was in 'close contact' with the upstream supplier using an encrypted app, which had auto-deletion of messages set up, 'designed to keep the operation secret and messages deleted'. Ms Hole said: 'She (Deborah Mason) recruited both her family members – her sister and her children – as well as partners and friends of her children, to a network of at least 10 individuals.' She also organised those who drove for her, staying in phone contact from the early hours to make sure they were up, and checking in on them during the day. She did not use pressure or coercion to woo her family into the gang, as they were 'motivated by financial benefit'. The court heard she was in receipt of in excess of £50,000 per year in benefit income during the conspiracy period, while acting as ringleader and spending lavishly on luxuries. Ms Hole said: '(You) will recollect the messages seen during the trial with reference to her photographing large amounts of cash, and referring to making £90,000 by the end of the year, as well as her lavish spending on designer goods and expressed intention to travel to Turkey to have cosmetic surgery procedures.' When Mason was on holiday in Dubai, her daughter Roeseanne Mason, who made seven trips delivering about 166kg of cocaine, stepped in to the directing role, the court heard. The prosecution said Roeseanne Mason collected cash for her mother and also 'provided childcare so that others could work'. Mother-of-two Demi Bright made a single trip in August 2023 which involved 60kg of cocaine. She took her children with her on the two-day trip, which involved an overnight stay in a hotel. She agreed to deliver more drugs in November 2023 but dropped out. It appears she stepped back from the drug plot after her sister Roeseanne Mason was arrested, 'saying she wanted to go straight but she continued to help her mother in the organisation and was aware of its scale', the court heard. The prosecution said that 'most significantly' she recruited Anita Slaughter to the gang, whom she offered work on a daily basis. Lillie Bright was involved in 20 trips involving 195kg of cocaine. Her partner Chloe Hodgkin, 23, of Abbots Walk, Wye, Kent, is awaiting the birth of her baby and is to be sentenced at a date to be set. Ms Hole said: 'The two of them took Lillie Bright's son with them, who was two at the time, in a car with cardboard boxes containing kilogrammes of cocaine.' Lillie Bright also had 35g of cocaine she offered for sale, the court heard. Reggie Bright's 12 trips as part of the gang delivered at least 90kg and there were times he collected wages for the group. He usually took trips with his partner, Demi Kendall, 31, telling her 'not to get the hump because we need the money', the court heard. He had been a cocaine user and an addict since his teens and had a brain injury as a result of his misuse. He claimed he did not know where the drugs were coming from, but encrypted messages on the Signal app show this was not true. Ms Hole said: 'He used the Signal alias Frank and was clearly known to, and in direct contact with, the upstream supplier.' Demi Kendall carried out 15 trips involving 98kg of cocaine, and 'often' took her toddler with her in a car. She also recruited her friend, and later, talking about the plot, told her 'you'd get years if u got stopped with the amount that we carry – serious jail time'. Tina Golding made four trips and delivered at least 75kg of cocaine. She collected at least £10,000 in wages. Anita Slaughter took part in a single trip, which amounted to 55kg across four drops, in October 2023. Roseanne Mason, 29, of Canonbury, north London, and Demi Bright, 30, of Ashford, Kent, were each sentenced to 11 years imprisonment. Lillie Bright, 26, of Ashford, Kent, was sentenced to 13 years, and Demi Kendall, 31, of Staplehurst, Kent, was sentenced to 13 years and six months imprisonment. Reggie Bright, 24, of Staplehurst, Kent, was sentenced to 15 years, and Tina Golding, 66, of Ashford, Kent, was jailed for 10 years. Anita Slaughter, 44, of Ashford, Kent, was sentenced to 13 years imprisonment. After sentencing Crown Prosecution Service specialist prosecutor Robert Hutchinson 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.' Met Detective Constable Jack Kraushaar, who led the investigation, described it as 'a sophisticated operation'. He added: '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.'
BBC News
34 minutes ago
- BBC News
Bradford mum jailed for using children to smuggle cocaine
A mother from Bradford who used her children to smuggle £14.4m worth of cocaine into the UK from Mexico has been Kauser, 54, of Waterlily Road in Manningham, was jailed for 13 years and four months at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday, after admitting importing 180kg of cocaine in was arrested while collecting her four sons, daughter and daughter-in-law from Birmingham Airport on 11 November 2024 as they returned from Cancun with suitcases loaded full of Mackenzie, National Crime Agency (NCA) senior investigating officer, said Kauser was "very well practised in her life as a high-end cocaine trafficker". He said: "To her friends and people who thought they knew her, Farzana Kauser was a thoughtful, loving mum who seemed very normal."She took great pains to delete any trail of evidence."She pushed her children into huge danger and has allowed their futures to be effectively destroyed."He added her youngest son was aged just 17 when he was "encouraged to play a major role in couriering drugs into the country". Kauser had worked with an unidentified accomplice in Pakistan, who was known as "Uncle", to help with the smuggling of cocaine from Cancun to the claimed she was only there to collect her children when they arrived at the airport with 180kg of cocaine that had a street value of around £ of the drugs were due to be handed over to a courier, while the rest were set to be taken back to Kauser's home and moved on from NCA also discovered that it had been the fifth time the group had couriered cocaine into Birmingham Airport between August and November 2024. They had booked short one or two-night trips to Amsterdam or Dublin and travelled without any luggage, but then timed their return flights to Birmingham at the same time as arrivals from Cancun – where there was an insider bringing suitcases full of group then headed to the Cancun baggage carousel after landing to collect the suitcases and the family would then walk through customs as though returning with their own four eldest children admitted their roles in the conspiracy, while her youngest son and daughter-in-law pleaded guilty to participating in the activities of an organised crime Mohammed, 22, of Waterlily Road, Bradford, was jailed for eight years and one monthJunaid Shaffaq, 33, of Waterlily Road, Bradford, was jailed for 10 years and nine monthsMohammed Shaffaq, 28, of Waterlily Road, Bradford, was jailed for eight years and nine monthsSafa Noor, 20, of Waterlily Road, Bradford, was jailed for seven years and two monthsSarah Hussain, 28, of Hollybank Road, Bradford, was given a two-year suspended sentenceHamza Shaffaq, 18, of Waterlily Road, Bradford, will be sentenced on 7 October. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
