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Real Housewives of Cheshire’s Tanya Bardsley’s ‘bestie’ unmasked as member of £1.6m cocaine smuggling gang
WAG Tanya Bardsley is best friends with a convicted drug dealer who was jailed for her part in an international £1.6million cocaine smuggling gang.
The Real Housewives of Cheshire star, 37, became pals with Catherine Mason, 34, after she was released from prison for conspiracy to supply the class A narcotic.
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Sources fear Mason is using her new friendship to try and land a spot on the hit reality ITV show.
The felon was alongside Tanya when she appeared on Good Morning Britain on Ladies Day at the Grand National last week.
And she has posted numerous pics of them together on Instagram describing Mason as her “special amazing kind thoughtful caring bestie” in one.
CATHERINE MASON'S ROLE IN COCAINE SMUGGLING GANG
The 17-strong cocaine gang was jailed in 2011 for a total of 170 years after a two-year probe into drug smuggling and money laundering.
Cops uncovered a shop in Stockport that was used to mix and stash the drugs.
A shipment holding 10.4kg of cocaine worth up to £3m was uncovered by police.
Catherine Mason was sentenced to four years and six months in jail for conspiracy to supply cocaine.
Mason was dating Anthony Carter, 46, who was described as the “lieutenant” of the drug smuggling gang.
Carter was caged for nine years and flew to Malaga, Spain with Mason to source the drugs in 2009.
On the convict’s birthday Tanya put up a snap of them together and wrote: “Birthday celebrations for my besties birthday @Caffy_mason I love you so much”.
'VERY NASTY GANG'
The revelation by The Sun will cause massive embarrassment to Tanya and footie ace hubby Phil, 33, as the pair pride themselves on their family values.
A source said: “Tanya pushes the fact that she is a mum and a family woman, but no parent would want to be hanging around with someone like Catherine.
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“She was part of a very nasty gang in the area who were rightly locked up for a very long time.
“Catherine is desperate to be famous and it looks like she’s angling to get on the Real Housewives of Cheshire.
'DRINKING PARTNERS'
“They have become drinking partners and are seen at all the top bars around Cheshire partying into the early hours.”
Mason, of Stockport, Gtr Manchester, was jailed for four years and six months in 2011 following a huge probe into a 17-strong drugs smuggling gang.
Officers recovered £345,000 in cash, four handguns and a 10.4kg shipment of cocaine hidden in air-conditioning units being delivered to Leeds from Spain.
Mason was dating Anthony Carter, 46, who was described as the “lieutenant” of the drug smuggling operation.
These are not the sort of people Tanya wants to be hanging around with if she wants to be seen as a role model to young women
A source
The pair flew to Malaga, Spain, in August 2009 to source a consignment of cocaine that was intercepted at Stanstead Airport less than a week later.
Mason was said to be at the “bottom end” of the conspiracy that saw the gang locked up for a total of 170 years.
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But since coming out she has attached herself to Tanya and the pair regularly post together on social media.
A source said: “These are not the sort of people Tanya wants to be hanging around with if she wants to be seen as a role model to young women."
DARK PAST
Mum-of-four Tanya has written two inspirational self-help books Dreams to Reality and Just a Girl Who Got It All - How You Can Have Your All Too.
She frequently talks about how she made it as a single mum to inspire others.
Tanya married Burnley defender Phil in 2014 and the couple have had three children together.
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The former glamour model was in the first series of The Real Housewives of Cheshire the same year and still appears on the show today.
The couple were forced to move out of their £2million mansion in Wilmslow, Cheshire, last summer after sunlight bouncing off their mirrored TV set the skylight ablaze in the heatwave.
Tanya's representative declined to comment.
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