UK woman jailed in Egypt for carrying painkillers
Authorities suspect Laura Plummer of drug trafficking for arriving at airport with hundreds of tramadol tablets — illegal in Egypt — which she says are for her sick husband
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A British woman has been jailed in Egypt on suspicion of drug trafficking after a large amount of painkillers was found in her suitcase at the airport.
Laura Plummer had come to visit her Egyptian husband, who suffers back pain following an accident. She brought along almost 300 tablets of tramadol as well as some naproxen, which she says were intended for her husband.
But tramadol is illegal in Egypt, a fact Plummer says she was not aware of. According to the Guardian, it is sometimes used as a heroin substitute.
Plummer, 33, has been held for the past month, and could face 25 years in prison. One lawyer has even mentioned the possibility of the death penalty.
Briton Laura Plummer, arrested, cld face 25 yrs in prison after flying into Egypt with £25 worth of painkiller Tramadol for husband's back pic.twitter.com/Eor6qerlHZ
— Zora Suleman (@ZoraSuleman) November 3, 2017
Her mother, Roberta, told The Sun “She had no idea she was doing anything wrong. The painkillers were placed at the top of her suitcase. She wasn’t hiding them.”
Plummer’s family has traveled to Egypt to visit her. Brother James told the Press Association she was “unrecognizable” and he was not sure she would survive the ordeal.
“It’s awful for Laura … she’s not a tough person at all. She’s only small,” he said.
He added: “It’s just blown out of proportion completely. She’s so by the book, so routine, she just likes her own home comforts, watches Emmerdale every night or things like that, going to bed at nine o’clock every night.”
A spokesman for the UK’s Foreign Office said it was “supporting a British woman and her family following her detention in Egypt.”
The Times of Israel Community.