Woman's luxury lifestyle funded by drugs empire 'unravelled before her eyes'
18.02.2023 - 20:53
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
A woman who enjoyed a luxury lifestyle, funded by selling heroin, crack cocaine and cannabis, had her drug empire 'unravel before her very eyes' when police pulled her over in her Audi for speeding.
Danielle Stafford, 29, enjoyed designer handbags, foreign holidays and even bought a second house. The engineer and University of Hull graduate owned nine watches and three expensive Louis Vuitton handbags and was "awash with cash from her drug dealing business", which allowed her to leave the salary from her job untouched, Hull Crown Court heard.
Stafford, of Hallgate, Cottingham, was caught by pure chance when police spotted her driving, Hull Live reports. Officers later found £26,917 cash stashed around her home and drugs with a street value of £33,600.
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She admitted three offences of being concerned in supplying heroin, crack cocaine and cannabis and another of possessing cash as criminal property, on dates spanning October 2017 and May 2020. Stafford originally denied nine offences and a trial had started, with the prosecution opening its case, but she suddenly changed her pleas to guilty on four charges.
Nadim Bashir, prosecuting, said that police recovered text messages on Stafford's phone beginning in October 2017 and involving her directing another woman to complete £10 or £20 cannabis deals in her absence. In one message, she said: "Make sure he pays."
"A group message was sent out by Danielle Stafford advertising a list of the types of cannabis she has to sell and their prices," said Mr Bashir. Other group messages advertising sales were sent out, the court heard.
Mr Bashir told the court: "This went completely