Laura Plummer, 33, was arrested in October when she arrived at the Red Sea resort in Hurghada, Egypt. The British tourist was accused of smuggling drugs into the country when officers discovered 290 Tramadol tablets in her bag. Despite her family's best efforts, she has been sentenced to three years to be served at Qena prison just north of Luxor, which houses some of the most dangerous criminals in Egypt.
Drug restrictions in Egypt
Plummer claims that she obtained Tramadol for her Egyptian partner, Omar Abdel Azim, who suffers from back pain. Even though Tramadol is illegal in Egypt, Plummer's partner failed to inform her that what she was doing was a crime.
Plummer arrived in Hurghada with her boyfriend on October 9, 2017 and was detained at the airport. The Tramadol tablets were easily found inside her bag. Due to the fact that she was unaware of the drug restrictions on Tramadol in Egypt, Plummer had not attempted to hide the pills.
Harsh punishments
Plummer's family has already shelled out over £25,000 for her defense. Her lawyer, Mohammed Othman, told the Telegraph that Plummer could face up to 25 years in prison or even the death penalty. Othman plans to file for an appeal after the 60-day waiting period is over.
Plummer was in police custody until December 26th when she was transferred to Qena prison located north of Luxor in Upper Egypt. This infamous prison houses terrorists hailing from ISIS and the Muslim Brotherhood.
The British Foreign Office had previously assured the family that Plummer would not be moved to this facility. However, Egyptian authorities were swift in making the transfer immediately after Christmas.
Plummer shares a small cell with 24 other inmates, most of whom are associated with Jihadi terrorist organizations. Reportedly, the prisoners are only fed once per day when a guard tosses food onto the floor of the cell.
Inmates are expected to fight for their meals. Plummer's family fears that she will not able to survive the horrid conditions of prison life in Egypt.
The cells inside Egypt's Qena prison have a hole in the center of the floor to serve as a bathroom. Plummer's sister, Jayne Synclair, has described the conditions as a "living hell." Synclair claims that her sister is covered in scabs from dozens of mosquito bites and is wasting away. She reported to the Telegraph that her sister's legs are like jelly, and her skin is translucent.
It is unclear whether or not the British tourist will have any luck with her appeal.
