UK Woman Could Face Death Penalty In Egypt For Carrying Painkillers

A British tourist, Laura Plummer, could face the death penalty in Egypt. She had brought pain medication into the country for her husband who was recovering from a back injury. She was arrested at the Hurghada International Airport on drug trafficking charges as she had 29 strips of pain medication in her bags.

The 33-year-old has spent four weeks in jail and is being held in a 15-sq ft cell with two other women.

It is illegal to bring opioids into the country without permission from the Ministry of Health. Laura was told that she could leave the airport after signing a 38-page document. However, she was taken to a prison where she has been detained. Lawyers told her brother that she could spend up to 25 years in prison and could even face the death penalty.

Laura has smuggled a note out from prison which reads, “Please help me get out of this hellhole. I don’t know what’s happening. I’m scared. I had no idea that what I was doing was wrong. I thought I was doing a good deed"

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“She’s unrecognizable. She’s not the girl who left,” said Jayne, Laura's sister. “She looks vacant in her eyes and all her hair is falling out. We know she has committed a crime, but she doesn’t deserve the treatment she’s getting.” 

"It’s a cage with no beds and the toilet is a hole in the concrete floor. She’s had jewellery stolen, shoes stolen, food stolen.”

Jayne said Laura spends her time reading Katie Price's autobiography, while the other inmates sit with the Koran.

A petition that calls for Plummer's release has received more than 16,000 signatures. It also turns out that her husband has a Muslim wife and kids, whom Laura was aware of.

Also Read: Egyptian Lawyer Says it’s “Patriotic Duty to Rape Women”

Picture Credit: Daily Express