Middle-aged mum who ran drug dealing 'business' from home is jailed

Police seized large amounts of cannabis and a more than £20,000 in cash during three separate raids at Debra Phillipson's address.

Newcastle Crown Court heard the 59-year-old, of Cleeve Court, Washington, had continued her illegal operation even after her home had been raided and she was given bail, twice. Now, she has been put behind bars for three years and faces losing her assets under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

Prosecutor Jane Foley told the court the first police raid was in May 2019, when police seized £11,870 in criminal cash, 385.2g of cannabis, debtors listsand scales from her home, foil wraps of the drug from her red Seat Leon car and bags of it from her garden. Phillipson admitted she had been selling to a "closed group" of friends and was given bail.

The court heard police went back to the house again in July 2020 and seized eight foil wraps of cannabis hidden in a Pandora bag, another £10,199 in cash and she was given bail again after she said the drugs were being stored there by someone else. During a third raid, in February this year, another 1.553 kilos of cannabis was found, along with £8,914 in cash, two mobile phones and debtors lists.

Miss Foley said data from the phones showed Phillipson was dealing at "street level" and added: "She was constantly contacted by people wanting to obtain drugs and in addition had allowed people to run up debts to purchase drugs from her."

Phone records showed Phillipson had allowed customers to come to her home to buy cannabis but had also delivered it to them on request. The court heard she had got involved in cannabis when she used it for pain relief after an accident.

Phillipson, who defended herself, said: "I only got into it through my health problems. I haven't done anything like that before, it was just through ill health. I am just sorry for what I have done."

Phillipson admitted possessing cannabis with intent to supply and possession of criminal property in relation to the first raid. She was found guilty of two charges of possessing cannabis with intent to supply and two of possessing criminal property by a jury after a trial in relation to the two later raids.

Judge Penny Moreland sentenced Phillipson to three years behind bars, telling her: "You were fully aware of the scale of the operation, I am satisfied this was your business that you were running.

"You expected and indeed obtained significant financial advantage as a result of your offending. You were supplying drugs to users."