British woman facing death penalty in Egypt for carrying painkillers 'made mistake'

‘Clearly, she was very, very naïve’

The British woman who faces the death penalty for bringing hundreds of painkiller tablets into Egypt made a "mistake", according to her brother.

Laura Plummer was detained after authorities found 290 tramadol tablets and some naproxen in her bag.

She was bringing the painkillers into the country for her Egyptian husband’s sore back.

She faces more than two decades in jail or even the death penalty after she was arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking in October.

Ms Plummer’s brother, James Plummer, told the Guardian that his sister had been given the prescription by a colleague in the shop where she worked in Hull after talking about her husband’s back pain.

He said his sister did not know what the pills were or know that taking them to Egypt could be illegal.

"It is difficult to get certain things in Egypt apparently so she’d taken talcum powder, shaving gel and razor blades and all sorts of things," he told the newspaper.

"Clearly, [she was] very, very naive."

Ms Plummer has reportedly been living in a cell with 25 other women for almost a month.

The woman’s father has reportedly spent £10,000 on legal fees.

Ms Plummer has a lawyer from the British embassy in Cairo and the UK Foreign Office is involved.

Tramadol, a synthetic opioid, is typically used as a heroin substitute in Egypt and around the world.