Latest news with #QueenBee
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
‘Gangster granny' who oversaw £80m drugs operation foiled by police
A "gangster granny" crime gang boss has been sentenced for dealing drugs with a street value of £80 million across the UK. Deborah Mason, 65, of Crayford Road, Tufnell Park, dubbed 'Queen Bee', and seven other members of the gang, were sentenced to a total of 106 and a half years at Woolwich Crown Court on Friday (18 July) for their involvement in supplying nearly a tonne of cocaine over seven months. The group used the encrypted messaging site Signal to communicate. Officers found messages showing Mason was living an extravagant lifestyle with her profits, buying a £400 Gucci collar and lead for her cat. Mason, dubbed 'gangster granny' by the Metropolitan Police, directed other members of the gang and was in contact with an upstream supplier called Bugsy. She was found guilty of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and sentenced to 20 years in prison. She took part in 20 trips, delivering 356kg of cocaine, and also made trips to deliver and collect cash.
South China Morning Post
4 days ago
- South China Morning Post
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.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- 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
4 days ago
- 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.
NDTV
5 days ago
- NDTV
UK's 'Gangster Granny' Jailed For Rs 900 Crore Cocaine Empire Run With Family
A 65-year-old grandmother, nicknamed the 'Queen Bee,' has been jailed for leading a sprawling family drug empire that trafficked nearly 80 million pounds (Rs 924 Crore) worth of cocaine across the UK, according to The Metro. Deborah Mason masterminded the highly profitable operation, recruiting relatives into the network, which moved almost a tonne of cocaine between April and November 2023. Couriers were paid 1,000 pounds a day to ferry drugs from London to cities including Bradford, Leicester, Birmingham, Bristol, and Cardiff, as per the news article. Mason flaunted her wealth, taking photos of bundles of cash and boasting about making 90,000 pounds from the scheme, all while fraudulently claiming 50,000 pounds in benefits. In total, Mason and seven members of her gang were handed sentences amounting to 106.5 years behind bars. Authorities described the operation as "extraordinarily profitable" and a major supplier of cocaine across England and Wales. According to The Guardian, the ringleader spent her profits on designer goods and was looking to travel to Turkey to have cosmetic surgery, while young mothers who were part of the gang took their young children to pick-ups. Mason, 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 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.
