Mum and grandmother jailed for taking part in ‘family cocaine ring’
A young mum from Kent has been jailed for 12 years for her role in supplying cocaine across the country.
Chloe Hodgkin, 23, was part of a family-run organised crime group led by 65-year-old grandmother Deborah Mason.
Hodgkin, who was 21 at the time of the offences, was found guilty of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs in April last year.
Six other women, a man and Mason, who was known as the ‘Queen Bee’, already received a combined total of 106 years and six months’ imprisonment for their roles in supplying nearly a ton of cocaine over a seven-month period.
Defence solicitor Charles Langley told Woolwich Crown Court today that Hodgkin, now 23, accepted she had played a ‘significant role’ in the conspiracy, but one that was ‘lesser than others involved’.
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The court heard Hodgkin was the youngest of all the defendants and had become a ‘different person’ since giving birth during the trial.
She said she was ‘grateful’ the judge allowed her to give birth outside of custody and spend time with her child before sentencing.
Judge Philip Shorrock said it was unlikely she had been ‘unaware of the scale’ of the operation, adding: ‘You dealt with others who were heavily involved in the supply.’
The court was told Hodgkin made multiple trips alongside her partner, Lillie Bright, 26, who was sentenced to 13 years in prison.
The court heard Hodgkin was involved in the delivery of 155kg of cocaine.
This was reduced by two years, due to the potential impact on her child, by a further 12 months because of a medical condition which would worsen in prison, and another 12 months in light of her young age at the time the offences were committed.
The court said she will have to serve at least half of her sentence.
While investigating, police found Mason was living an extravagant lifestyle with her profits, having bought a Gucci collar and a lead worth £400 for her cat, as well as lots of luxury outdoor garden items.
The group booked various holidays and purchased luxury goods with their earnings.
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