Drug dealer Newcastle grandmother told to pay back £120,000

Diane Wright was part of a large-scale conspiracy which saw her husband and three grandsons arrested following a series of police raids on Valentine's Day in 2018. Credit: NCJ MEDIA

A grandmother whose family sold cocaine cut with worming powder and laxatives has been told to pay back £120,000 of criminal cash.

Diane Wright was part of a large-scale conspiracy which saw her husband and three grandsons arrested following a series of police raids on Valentine's Day in 2018.

Wright is serving an 11-year sentence for her role in the enterprise, which involved the sale of highly addictive substances, including cocaine which was often mixed with carcinogenic chemicals such as worming powder and laxatives.

Members of the family were jailed for a combined 34 years in 2021. Since then, there has been a financial investigation under the Proceeds of Crime Act to try and seize assets linked to the criminal activity.

In May, a judge at Newcastle Crown Court granted a confiscation order for £33,621 against Wright's grandson Aaron Stephenson, who fled to Spain during the criminal proceedings and was later extradited and jailed.

Last week, a judge at the same court granted a confiscation order of just over £120,000 against 64-year-old Wright.

Assets identified included two properties, £10,000 made from the sale of a boat and cash seized during the investigation.The order brings the end of all proceedings against the family to a close and sees the total amount of assets seized from the investigation to £169,562.

Detective Chief Inspector Chris Riley of Northumbria Police’s Crime Department, said: “Wright and her family made serious money selling illegal drugs which were cut with potentially hazardous chemicals and blighted our communities with threats of violence and unacceptable behaviour.

“Thanks to a comprehensive criminal investigation, they are now all behind bars serving lengthy jail terms, and, thanks to further detailed investigative work, they have now all re-appeared in court and been stripped of their assets.

“The granting of this final confiscation order marks the end of than five years of complex investigative work and hopefully shows our communities just how committed we are to achieving meaningful results."

The money seized will be used to fund a range of grassroots organisations.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...