A 65-year-old grandmother, Deborah Mason, infamously known as “Gangsta Debbs” or “Queen Bee”, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for orchestrating a sprawling, family-run drug empire valued at up to £80 million ($1.07 billion) on UK streets.
Mason, the matriarch of a south-east England-based crime family, was convicted of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs following a seven-month surveillance operation by the Metropolitan Police. Woolwich Crown Court heard that she recruited her children, their partners, and close relatives to distribute cocaine across major UK cities including London, Cardiff, Manchester, and Sheffield.
The criminal enterprise came to light in April 2023, when undercover officers observed Mason transferring boxes into a hire car in a Harwich retail park. The car was later tracked to Ipswich, where Mason handed over a laundry bag suspected to contain drugs. According to her defense, Mason’s unassuming appearance made her an ideal courier, unlikely to raise suspicion.
Over the months that followed, police monitored 20 known trips involving tightly packed cocaine collected from ports such as Harwich, Dover, and Folkestone. One courier intercepted in Leicester was found with 10kg of cocaine. In total, the gang moved at least 356kg of cocaine, with a wholesale value of £25–30 million and a street value nearing £80 million.
The gang were caught supplying nearly a tonne of cocaine over seven months. Photo/Courtesy
Mason maintained control using encrypted messaging via Signal, using aliases to coordinate operations. She was closely linked to a mysterious supplier known only as “Bugsy,” with whom she even vacationed in Dubai and Bahrain. Prosecutor Charlotte Hole detailed how Mason micromanaged logistics, from waking drivers early to conducting check-ins throughout their routes.
Police say the operation funded Mason’s extravagant lifestyle, including designer Gucci pet accessories for her Bengal cat, a £192 Bugatti kettle, and luxury trips to Malta, Prague, and Poland. When arrested, she was found in her bathroom with a DKNY towel. Investigators also revealed that she received £50,000 in state benefits during this time and had expressed interest in traveling to Turkey for cosmetic surgery.
Among Deborah Mason’s purchases were a cat called Ghost, trainers and a Bugatti kettle. Photo/Courtesy
“This was no ordinary family,” said specialist prosecutor Robert Hutchinson. “Instead of nurturing her relatives, Mason used them to build a criminal empire that ultimately put them all behind bars.”
Among those convicted were:
- Reggie Bright, 24 (Mason’s son) – 15 years
- Demi Kendall, 31 (Reggie’s partner) – 13.5 years
- Lillie Bright, 26 (Mason’s daughter) – 13 years
- Anita Slaughter, 44 (family friend) – 13 years
- Demi Bright, 30 (Mason’s eldest daughter) – 11 years
- Roseanne Mason, 29 (Mason’s daughter) – 11 years
- Tina Golding, 66 (relative) – 10 years
- Chloe Hodgkin, 23 (Lillie’s partner) – sentencing postponed due to pregnancy
The court heard that Mason’s children were key players, with Reggie transporting 90kg of cocaine over 12 trips and Lillie making 20 trips herself. Prosecutors emphasized that all involved acted voluntarily and were motivated by profit.
Judge Philip Shorrock criticized Mason’s actions, saying, “As a mother, you should have been setting an example to your children, not corrupting them.” He described her as “the site foreman under a project manager” in the structured operation.
Detective Constable Jack Kraushaar, who led the investigation, called the gang’s operation “sophisticated” and “extremely profitable,” noting that it was greed, not necessity, that drove their crimes.
The case underscores the growing complexity of organized crime networks in the UK and highlights how criminal leadership can thrive even under the guise of domestic normalcy.
Written By Rodney Mbua
