3 days ago
UK's ‘Queen Bee' stung with jail term as US$107 million cocaine empire crumbles
'Gangster granny', the 65-year-old leader of a UK crime family, and seven of her associates were sentenced to a combined 106 years in prison for dealing more than US$100 million worth of cocaine across the country, officials announced on Friday.
Deborah Mason, who is also known as 'Queen Bee' and 'Gangsta Deb', recruited her sister, her four children and others close to her family to work as couriers and distribute her product across London as well as Bradford, Leicester, Birmingham, Bristol and Cardiff, the Independent reported.
Over a span of about seven months in 2023, Mason's drug network peddled nearly a tonne of cocaine with a street value of nearly US$107 million.
'This was a sophisticated operation which was extremely profitable for those involved,' said Metropolitan Detective Constable Jack Kraushaar, who led the investigation.
Mason used the profits to fund her lavish lifestyle, which included extravagant holidays and a collection of luxury high-end designer goods. According to the BBC, she at one point bought a Gucci collar and leash worth more than US$500, and a nine-carat gold engraved name tag for her Bengal cat, Ghost.
Mason in April was found guilty of conspiracy to supply class A drugs. A judge on Friday sentenced her to 20 years in prison.
