Overview

• Deborah Mason, 65, was convicted of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and sentenced to 20 years at Woolwich Crown Court on July 18, 2025.
• Seven co-defendants, including her sister, three children, their partners and friends, received a combined 106.5-year prison term.
• Between April and November 2023, the network smuggled nearly a tonne of cocaine worth up to £80 million across cities from Harwich to London, Bradford, Leicester, Birmingham, Bristol and Cardiff.
• Investigators uncovered the gang’s use of an encrypted messaging app with auto-deletion features and payments of at least £1,000 per trip to couriers.
• Prosecutors noted Mason’s lavish spending of criminal proceeds on designer goods, luxury travel and over £50,000 in state benefits and urged the sentence to deter organised drug trafficking.