to think you don't bring 290 tramadol tablets to a foreign country if they aren't even yours

[pisacake]

www.thesun.co.uk/news/4838770/holiday-brit-arrest-jail-tramadol-prescription-pill/

"Laura flew to Hurghada airport on October 9 for a fortnight stay with hubby Omar, 33. They met four years ago and she jets out to see him four times a year.

He suffers back pain after an accident, so she took 29 strips of tramadol, each containing ten tablets, plus some Naproxen given to her by a pal.

In Britain tramadol is prescription only, but it is banned in Turkey where addicts use it as a heroin substitute.

A pill sells for 8p — meaning Laura could have made just £23.20 even if she wanted to."

It's an opiate so obviously a controlled drug with a very high abuse potential. Some countries you'd get arrested even if you had a prescription.

Why the mail and the sun trying to drag up sympathy for this girl? The whole thing stinks, both how she obtained the drugs here and the smuggling.

At best she was utterly stupid and naive but I think there's so much more to the story. The whole situation is bizarre.

Here's an interesting article about it. pennpoliticalreview.org/2017/09/the-essential-drug/ Basically tramadol is seen as 'weak shit', and hence it was deemed ok to flood less well regulated places with it in lieu of drugs with higher abuse potential.

This however has resulted in an abuse epidemic. Tramadol has the most deaths in N, Ireland of all drugs www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-39406068

" Nonetheless, many fear that in Egypt, as in the rest of the tramadol-infested world, the worst is yet to come. As tramadol regulation and prices increase, heroin will likely supplant current demand for tramadol"

I really can't find any data on sentences for this sort of quantity of drugs in Egypt,

Why the mail and the sun trying to drag up sympathy for this girl? The whole thing stinks, both how she obtained the drugs here and the smuggling

Woman. And because its the death penalty. We don't kill people for stupidity, or for addiction, or even for drug dealing,and most of us think its not ok for other countries to do so either

I don’t think they are really trying to get her sympathy. They’re doing the story of ‘look how unfair this is to innocent British grandma’, knowing it’ll piss people off and get them talking about it (as we are). Just the same as they do a ‘look at this goddess of a celeb, pouring her curves into a revealing dress and looking absolutely stunning’ angle on any pics of female celeb looking dog rough.

She must have bought I online, from a dealer or be using someone else’s prescription

Yup, likely an online Drug U Like. Which of course will be entirely reputable in terms of actually supplying the stuff ordered ...maybe she get a lesser charge on the technicality that it’s talc or something rather than tramadol.

I didn't even risk Neurofen Plus, which has a small amount of Codeine in, when I used to go to Egypt. Opiate related anything is banned.

That's a lot of tramadol. I tend to get a prescription for a 100 every two weeks (chronic pain). They help ease the pain a little bit but do nothing for a "high"

She's a fool

"And because its the death penalty."

That's not really clear. Just because the death penalty exists in Egypt doesn't mean that it's a possible sentence for this particular crime.

The amount makes sense because the husband lives in Egypt and the tablets were for him. The wife only visits 4 x a year so the 390 tablets would be expected to last him for three months. That works out to approx. 4 tablets per day, which is a normal prescription dose.

Chrys Won't dont you understand about the stupidity let alone the illegality of getting strong prescription drugs for another person?

Also "husband" pfffft, really.

Silly silly woman if it’s really for ‘love’.

In Britain tramadol is prescription only, but it is banned in Turkey where addicts use it as a heroin substitute.

Heroin substitute?! They must have some very very weak heroin over there. Tramadol is useless. Even 300mg of it just gave me a slight energy boost and did nothing for the pain

That's not really clear. Just because the death penalty exists in Egypt doesn't mean that it's a possible sentence for this particular crime

It does, and its in the media reports.

It’s certainly a strange story. I’m fascinated to know what possessed her to go off and marry an Egyptian that she has to go off and visit a few times a year. I can’t help but think that he has skunk off into the background now in order to lay low. If it is a true story then I can help but feel sorry for her but still can’t figure out what possessed her to go off and marry him in the first place. Seems odd from looking at her pictures for some reason.

Chrys2017 how do you know that would last 3 months?
That amount wouldn't even last me a month!
You cant guess with drugs.

PurplePillowCase i wouldn't even bother with dubai anyway, butnow im too scared to even looking at abroad now!

@pisacake really interesting links, thanks

I think there is much more to the story and I also don’t believe her side of it. I’ve been prescribed tramadol in the past for arthritis and know to always check whether any of the medications I have are acceptable in other countries when travelling abroad. Whilst I appreciate some people might not think to check this or assume it is ok because their doctor has legitimately prescribed them, there is no indication that she has any pain that she needs them for. Let alone why she only sees her husband four times per year!

The number of things you would have to not question in order to not know what you were doing was illegal either here or in Egypt is incredible.

Tramadol is not only a prescription only drug, it's a Class C controlled drug.

To be in possession of them without a prescription is a criminal offence alone.

She took 290 of them (!) to a country which holds the death penalty for drug smuggling, with the express intention of supplying them to another.

Egypt or England, this would be criminally offensive.

The street value is bound to be more Tha 8p each.

I also very much doubt she didn't know it was illegal. Or that her husband is taking her for a complete and utter mug.

Does anyone know, countries that these drugs are banned, are you allowedto bring them if you actually have a prescription?

It appears so. There's already plenty of comments on news websites from people who take these drugs who've said they have no problem. Prescriptions show a legitimate reason why you are carrying those drugs I suppose.

Exactly what gingernaut said.

Last time i was in Egypt you could go into any pharmacy and buy temazepan over the counter. Sounds like hypocrisy to me.