‘Gangsta Dibs’ – Grandma who used her family to run a drug gang

In the early hours of the morning of April in 2023, undercover authorities saw a female loaded box in a rented car in a retail park near Harvich’s port in Essex.

He got a tip-off about the car that traveled from Isington that night.

The car was taken to Ipswich, where the woman handed over a heavy laundry bag to an unknown man. She did not look like a person you would expect to do a drug deal – her defense barrister said that she had “undoubtedly out of the form of someone who did not hold the eye”.

The woman was Debora Mason, known as Gangsta Dibs or Queen B: a grandmother and the maternal mother of a crime family that operated in Southeast England.

Mason recruited four of his children, his sister and close people of the family to help the supply of cocaine across the country – a grand lifestyle that included Gucci designer accessories purchased for her cat and a £ 192 bugati kettle.

On Friday, the 65 -year -old was sentenced to 20 years in jail for a conspiracy to supply Class A drugs in the Woolvich Crown Court.

The rest of the gang found sentences between 10 and 15 years for the same charge.

The Metropolitan Police saw Mason for seven months after that morning in Harvick, as he and his family -run gang completed cocaine and class a drug pick -ups at the ports – mainly Harvich – but also Fokstone and Dover.

The pattern was often the same. Packages will be collected tightly wrapped of cocaine, divided between supermarket bags for life and then given to the next person in the series.

Police saw the entire drop-off of the gang in South London, Cardiff, Bristol, Shefield, Roderham, Manchester, Bradford, Southnd, Lessaster and Walsal.

A person was arrested by the police in Lessestr, soon after which a handover was found with 10 kg (22LBS) cocaine. Other trips will be to collect their “wages” as they have described it.

The prosecution said during Friday sentence that the gang was priced at £ 80m with £ 25m-£ 30m to £ 80m.

The court heard that the gang used surnames to communicate with each other and to communicate with its supplier – a person who is only known as “Bagsi” – an encrypted messaging app, on the signal.

Mason enjoyed a close relationship with “Bagsi” and even went on leave with Dubai and Bahrain in October 2023.

Over a period of seven months, Mason made 20 trips to transport at least 356 kg cocaine as well as to pay and collect cash.

Judge Philip Shorrock stated that Mason had a “major role”, and described it as a “site foreman working under a project manager”.

“As a mother you should have installed an example for your children, they should not corrupt them,” he said.

The court heard that Mason himself did not buy drugs, but was part of the direction of the multi-Kilo transaction.

Prosecutor Charlotte Hole said: “He also arranged for those who had run for him – to stay in contact for the early hours to make sure they were above, and were checking them during the day.”

Financial benefits were inspiration and police said that Mason had spent exceptionally on designer clothes, bags and goods.

One of these was £ 390 Gucci collar and lead, and Mason’s Bengal Cat, was a nine-carat gold engraved name tag for the ghost.

When he was arrested, the footage handcuffs him in his bathroom next to a designer DKNY towel.

At the same time there was a conspiracy, Mason received £ 50,000 in profit, Ms. Hole told the court.

Mason expressed “desire to go to Türkiye for cosmetic processes” and “cut off the wages of others”, Ms. Hole said.

She booked a holiday with her sister with Cornwall, Malta, Prague and Poland, and took her daughters to Dubai, where they continued to direct in the UK via facetime.

Mason, whose number was rescued in one of his children’s phones named Queen B, included his three daughters, his son and his two colleagues in the conspiracy. All of them are now starting a long prison sentence behind bars. A friend, Anita Slaughter, 44, has also been put in jail.

24 -year -old Mason’s son, Regi Bright gave at least 90 kg cocaine from 12 trips, often traveled with his mother, Demi Kendall, 31, or his sister Lily Bright, 27 -with his mother.

Ms. Hole said, “She used the signal Alias ‘Frank’ and was clearly in direct contact with the upstream supplier.”

He said that Regi Bright and Demi Kendall were also caught running their separate drugs line from their caravan in Kent – in violation of the previous suspended sentence order imposed on them for drug -related crimes.

The prosecution argued that Mason’s eldest daughter Demi Bright had an important role in operating, provided around 60 kg of cocaine, although she was not active as other family members as she had other sources of income.

Mason’s other daughters, Rosen Mason and Lily Bright were also found guilty. 30 -year -old Rosain Mason participated in seven identified visits – including Bradford and Manchester. Lily Bright made 20 identified tours and the court heard that she had a “clear expectation of significant financial gains”.

Lily Bright included her fellow Cloo Hodgkin – which the court heard will be sentenced on a later date when she has given birth.

In mitigation, each defense lawyer argued that all the drugs involved were “spending” compared to enterprise, and that most of the children were “couriers”, who were traveling throughout the UK.

It was “no ordinary family”, as expert prosecutor Robert Hachinson said. “Instead of nourishing and taking care of his relatives, Debora Mason recruited him to establish an extraordinary profitable criminal venture, which would eventually put all of them behind bars.”

Ms. Hole said that there was no suggestion of pressure or force to any of them to be part of the conspiracy, and all were motivated by financial gains.

They were given the following sentences:

• Regi Bright, 24, Stapleharst, Kent, 15 years
• Demi Kendall, 31, Stapleste, 13-and-a-half years
• Lily Bright, 26, Ashford, Kent, 13 years
• Anita Slaughter, 44, Ashford, 13 years
• Demi Bright, 30, Ashford, 11 years
• Roseen Mason, 29, Cannabari, 11 years of North London,
• Tina Golding, 66, Ashford, 10 years
• 23 -year -old Callo Hodgkin of Y, Kent was sentenced on a latter date.

The Met Police Deit Con Jack Krusher, who led the investigation, described the operation of Mason as “sophisticated” and said it was “very beneficial for the people involved”.

“The group was sucked into criminality,” he said, “selfishly attracted with the financial benefits of drug-dealing that funds the grand lifestyle.”