Latest news with #GangsterGranny
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Watch: the moment a drug dealer police nicknamed 'Gangster Granny' is arrested
THIS footage shows the moment a drug dealer nicknamed 'Gangster Granny' was arrested following an investigation into her gang picking up shipments of cocaine at an Essex port. Deborah Mason, 65, the leader of the family-run group, was sentenced to 20 years in prison after being convicted of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs at Woolwich Crown Court on July 18. Mason and seven other people - six women and one man - were sentenced to a total of 106 years and six months in prison for their involvement in supplying nearly a tonne of cocaine over seven months. The group transported packages of imported cocaine and drove them around London, Bradford, Leicester, Birmingham, Bristol and Cardiff between April 2023 and November 2023. Footage shows Mason in disbelief that she was being arrested. Arrested - Deborah Mason last year (Image: Metropolitan Police/PA) Mug shot - Deborah Mason (Image: PA/Metropolitan Police) The Met Police's investigation saw officers receive information on April 20, 2023, that a hired car driven by Mason left her house in Crayford Road, Tufnell Park, London, at 4.30am and arrived at Harwich Port at 6.20am. Police said regular trips were made by Mason to the port alongside the couriers to collect the cocaine. The group used encrypted messaging site Signal to communicate. Officers trawled through thousands of messages following their arrests which helped prove their criminal movements. Officers discovered through the messages that Mason - known as Queen Bee - was living an extravagant lifestyle with her profits, purchasing a Gucci collar and lead worth £400 for her cat. During the crime group's operation, the drugs had an estimated wholesale value of between £23million to £35million and a street value of £80million. The Metropolitan Police arrested all members of the gang in May 2024 except a woman called Anita Slaughter who was arrested in November 2024 after being identified from the messages.
Yahoo
20-07-2025
- Yahoo
‘Gangster Granny' sentenced to prison for operating $100 million drug ring
'Gangster Granny,' the 65-year-old leader of a U.K. crime family, and seven of her associates were sentenced to a combined 106 years in prison for dealing more than $100 million worth of cocaine across the country, officials announced Friday. Deborah Mason, who's 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 about seven months in 2023, Mason's drug network peddled nearly a ton of cocaine with a street value of nearly $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 vacations and a collection of luxury high-end designer goods. According to the BBC, she at one point purchased a Gucci collar and leash worth more than $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. 'You recruited members of your own family — as a mother you should have been setting an example for your children and not corrupting them,' Judge Philip Shorrock said, per BBC News. Mason's associates, including her sister, three daughters and son, were meanwhile ordered to spend between 10 and 15 years behind bars.
Yahoo
20-07-2025
- Yahoo
‘Gangster Granny' sentenced to prison for operating $100 million drug ring
'Gangster Granny,' the 65-year-old leader of a U.K. crime family, and seven of her associates were sentenced to a combined 106 years in prison for dealing more than $100 million worth of cocaine across the country, officials announced Friday. Deborah Mason, who's 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 about seven months in 2023, Mason's drug network peddled nearly a ton of cocaine with a street value of nearly $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 vacations and a collection of luxury high-end designer goods. According to the BBC, she at one point purchased a Gucci collar and leash worth more than $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. 'You recruited members of your own family — as a mother you should have been setting an example for your children and not corrupting them,' Judge Philip Shorrock said, per BBC News. Mason's associates, including her sister, three daughters and son, were meanwhile ordered to spend between 10 and 15 years behind bars.
