British woman arrested for drug trafficking in Egypt over painkillers

A woman from Hull could be jailed for up to 25 years or even face the death penalty after carrying painkillers to Egypt for her husband.

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Laura Plummer, 33, was arrested by Egyptian authorities after 290 tramadol tablets and Naproxen was found in her suitcase.

The shop worker said she was carrying the painkillers for her Egyptian husband who suffers from a sore back.

According to the Guardian, she reportedly signed her name on a 38-page statement in Arabic, believing she would be released but was instead taken to a prison cell with 25 other women, where she has spent nearly a month.

Tramadol is illegal in Egypt, where it among the most illicit drugs abused in the country, taken by 40.7 per cent of drug users as a substitute for heroin.

Speaking to the Press Association, her brother, James, 31, said his sister thought she was doing a "good deed" by taking the medication to her husband.

He said his mother and sisters had travelled to Egypt to visit Miss Plummer following her arrest on 9 October.

Mr Plummer added: "They say she's unrecognisable. When they seen her, she's like a zombie, they said."

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are supporting a British woman and her family following her detention in Egypt."