Latest news with #drugdealing
BBC News
21 hours ago
- BBC News
South Shields cocaine seller identified by 'ouch' foot tattoo
A cocaine dealer who was identified by a photograph of the word "ouch" tattooed on his foot has been jailed for 13 Matthews, 46, was caught after police cracked the EncroChat network, Newcastle Crown Court the evidence proving Matthews' involvement in arranging large cocaine deals was a picture of his distinctive tattoo he had sent when complaining to other drug dealers about a broken flip-flop, the court was was found guilty of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs. Judge Amanda Rippon said the evidence was "perfectly clear" that Matthews, of Gordon Road in South Shields, had been involved in drug dealing between June 2019 and May 2020. 'Significant brain injury' She said officers were able to link Matthews to one of the user handles in the EncroChat group by various clues, including a picture of his tattoo which features the word "ouch".Matthews "plainly had a leading role" and was organising, buying and selling cocaine on a "commercial scale", Judge Rippon was thought he had arranged delivery of 22kg of the Class A drug but had run up debts of hundreds of thousands of pounds as his "expectation of substantial financial advantage" failed to materialise, the judge his arrest, Matthews suffered a "significant" brain injury and had to have part of his skull removed when he was hit by either a car or person in September 2023, the court injury, which resulted in memory and behavioural issues, would make his time in prison even harder, the judge said. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
The Independent
a day ago
- The Independent
Drug dealer texted police accidentally
Jack Johannesen, 23, from Sandy, Bedfordshire, has been sentenced to two years and 10 months in prison for drug dealing and breaching bail conditions. He was caught after mistakenly sending a group text message advertising his new drug line to the phone of a police officer who had previously been involved in his arrest. Johannesen was part of an organised crime group operating across Biggleswade and Sandy, dealing in cannabis, crack cocaine, and heroin. Police initially arrested him in October, recovering multiple phones, including one he had smashed, which revealed he had contacted over 400 numbers for drug deals. Following his re-arrest in November due to the mistaken text, officers seized more cannabis, nearly £2,000 in cash, and high-value designer goods.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Woman dubbed 'gangster granny' jailed for running UK-wide cocaine operation
A 65-year-old woman dubbed "gangster granny" by police has been jailed for running a UK-wide drug-dealing operation. Deborah Mason - known as 'Queen Bee' - and seven other members of the family-run gang were sentenced to a total of 106.5 years at Woolwich Crown Court in London on Friday. The group imported almost a tonne of cocaine - with an estimated street value of £80m - over seven months. Mason spent her profits on designer goods, including a Gucci lead and collar for her cat, and planned to travel to Turkey for cosmetic procedures. The ringleader was in "close contact" with an upstream supplier called Bugsy using an encrypted app and directed other members of the gang as they drove packages of imported cocaine to locations across England. Mason was found guilty of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Judge Philip Shorrock told her: "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." Prosecutor Charlotte Hole said earlier that 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." Mason and the other eight defendants made multiple trips to collect and drop off imported cocaine from Harwich Port and other locations. Some of the gang members took their young children with them as they couriered the packages. They took them to addresses in Bradford, Cardiff, south London, Rotherham, Southend, Leicester, Walsall and various other places. Ms Hole said Mason did not use pressure or coercion to woo her family into the gang, as they were "motivated by financial benefit". It is estimated each person earned more than £1,000 a day, the Metropolitan Police said. Read more: Mason - who took part in 20 trips, delivering 356kg of cocaine - was also in receipt of more than £50,000 per year in benefit income during the conspiracy period, the court heard. She was jailed on Friday alongside seven other people. Roseanne Mason, 29, of Canon, north London, Chloe Hodgkin, 23, of Wye, Kent, Lillie Bright, 26, of Ashford, Demi Bright, 30, of Staplehurst, Kent, and Anita Slaughter, 44, of Ashford, Kent, stood trial alongside the 65-year-old and were all found guilty of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs. Prior to her trial, Lillie Bright pleaded guilty to a separate offence of offering to supply Class A drugs. Her partner, Chloe Hodgkin, is awaiting the birth of her baby and will be sentenced at a later date. Tina Golding, 66, of Ashford, Kent, Reggie Bright, 24, of Staplehurst, Kent, and Demi Kendall, 31, of Staplehurst, Kent, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs. Reggie Bright and Demi Kendall also pleaded guilty to a separate offence of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs, and possession of criminal property after seizures of cocaine and more than £15,000 cash during a search of their home. Roseanne Mason and Demi Bright were each sentenced to 11 years in prison. Lillie Bright was sentenced to 13 years, and Demi Kendall was sentenced to 13 years and six months imprisonment. Reggie Bright was sentenced to 15 years, and Tina Golding was jailed for 10 years. Anita Slaughter was sentenced to 13 years imprisonment.
Sky News
5 days ago
- Sky News
Woman dubbed 'gangster granny' jailed for running UK-wide cocaine operation
A 65-year-old woman dubbed "gangster granny" by police has been jailed for running a UK-wide drug-dealing operation. Deborah Mason - known as 'Queen Bee' - and seven other members of the family-run gang were sentenced to a total of 106.5 years at Woolwich Crown Court in London on Friday. The group imported almost a tonne of cocaine - with an estimated street value of £80m - over seven months. Mason spent her profits on designer goods, including a Gucci lead and collar for her cat, and planned to travel to Turkey for cosmetic procedures. The ringleader was in "close contact" with an upstream supplier called Bugsy using an encrypted app and directed other members of the gang as they drove packages of imported cocaine to locations across England. Mason was found guilty of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Judge Philip Shorrock told her: "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." Prosecutor Charlotte Hole said earlier that 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." Mason and the other eight defendants made multiple trips to collect and drop off imported cocaine from Harwich Port and other locations. Some of the gang members took their young children with them as they couriered the packages. They took them to addresses in Bradford, Cardiff, south London, Rotherham, Southend, Leicester, Walsall and various other places. Ms Hole said Mason did not use pressure or coercion to woo her family into the gang, as they were "motivated by financial benefit". It is estimated each person earned more than £1,000 a day, the Metropolitan Police said. Mason - who took part in 20 trips, delivering 356kg of cocaine - was also in receipt of more than £50,000 per year in benefit income during the conspiracy period, the court heard. She was jailed on Friday alongside seven other people. Roseanne Mason, 29, of Canon, north London, Chloe Hodgkin, 23, of Wye, Kent, Lillie Bright, 26, of Ashford, Demi Bright, 30, of Staplehurst, Kent, and Anita Slaughter, 44, of Ashford, Kent, stood trial alongside the 65-year-old and were all found guilty of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs. Prior to her trial, Lillie Bright pleaded guilty to a separate offence of offering to supply Class A drugs. Her partner, Chloe Hodgkin, is awaiting the birth of her baby and will be sentenced at a later date. Tina Golding, 66, of Ashford, Kent, Reggie Bright, 24, of Staplehurst, Kent, and Demi Kendall, 31, of Staplehurst, Kent, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs. Reggie Bright and Demi Kendall also pleaded guilty to a separate offence of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs, and possession of criminal property after seizures of cocaine and more than £15,000 cash during a search of their home. Roseanne Mason and Demi Bright were each sentenced to 11 years in prison. Lillie Bright was sentenced to 13 years, and Demi Kendall was sentenced to 13 years and six months imprisonment. Reggie Bright was sentenced to 15 years, and Tina Golding was jailed for 10 years.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Drug dealer guilty of murdering 63-year-old man
A drug dealer who stabbed and killed a 63-year-old man has been found guilty of murder. Police said Abul Kasim, 25, had been staying at Martin Sullivan's home in Highbury Road, Luton, and using the house as a base for "drug-dealing activity". They said Kasim, of Perrysfield Road, Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, stabbed Mr Sullivan on 8 January after a disagreement. Kasim admitted manslaughter but denied murder. A jury unanimously found Kasim guilty of murder on Friday after a trial, overseen by Mrs Justice Dias, at Luton Crown Court. The judge said Kasim would be sentenced on a date to be fixed. "Kasim, a known drug-dealer, had been using the house Martin lived in as a base for his drug-dealing activity," said Bedfordshire Police in a statement after the hearing. "However, when he demanded to stay the night on 8 January, Martin refused and told him to leave. Kasim then became violent and attacked Martin with a knife before fleeing." The force said it arrested Kasim after his fingerprints were found on a doorframe and on a bottle of juice. 'Senseless' Det Insp Caeva Taylor, a member of the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire major crime unit, described Kasim's attack as "senseless". "Martin was a much loved and recognisable figure in the community and could often be seen walking his dogs in the Bury Park area," she said. "Kasim's utterly senseless and violent actions led to Martin losing his life, which has caused a huge amount of pain and suffering to Martin's family and friends." Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. More on this story Man charged with murder after fatal stabbing Bedfordshire Police
