Last month, a British woman was detained in Egypt after attempting to enter the country with banned painkillers, which she claims were for her husband Omar Caboo's sore back.
Laura Plummer was arrested on Oct. 9 after airport officials at Hurghuda International Airport found 290 Tramadol tablets and Naproxen in her luggage.
According to The Independent, the 33-year-old had signed a 38-page statement in Arabic, which she initially thought would lead to her release.
Instead, it landed her in a prison cell with 25 other women, where she remains to this day.
Plummer may face up to 25 years in jail or even the death penalty. She is expected to appear in court on Nov. 9 for her third hearing.
Plummer's brother, James Plummer, said it was "an innocent, honest mistake," adding that she had been given the prescription drugs by a colleague of hers.
"Laura didn’t even check what they were, she didn’t even know there was tramadol in the bag. There was also naproxen as well."
About Plummer's relationship with Caboo: "Their marriage means nothing"
Plummer's sister, Jayne Synclair, claims the couple had signed a document allowing them to sleep in an apartment together.
The document is known as "urfi" in the country. Urfi is a customary marriage contract among Sunni Muslims that is done by a sheikh in the presence of a guardian and two witnesses. A dowry amount is also presented.
The contract is not officially registered under the state, and thus not recognized by the government as a legal marriage.
Synclair added that their "marriage means nothing" - and that Caboo already has a Muslim wife, whom she claims Laura has met.
"He has a Muslim wife and they only signed documents in Egypt that allow them to live together when she goes to stay. He doesn't have a passport so can't come to England," Synclair told British newspaper, Mirror.
Plummer's family voices concern
"I don’t think she’s tough enough to survive it," Plummer's brother said, according to The Independent.
"She has a phobia of using anybody else’s toilet, so let alone sharing a toilet and a floor with everybody else. That will be awful for her, it’ll be traumatizing."
Plummer's brother added that his mother and sisters had traveled to Egypt to visit her following the arrest, saying she is unrecognizable.
"She's like a zombie," they said, according to the BBC.
Tramadol in Egypt
Although Tramadol is available on prescription in the UK - where Plummer obtained the tablets - the drugs are banned in Egypt.
"Some prescribed and over-the-counter medicines that are available in the UK are considered controlled substances in Egypt and can’t be brought into the country without prior permission from Egypt’s Ministry of Health," the Foreign Office says.
It is considered to be the most abused drug in Egypt and is sometimes used as a heroin substitute, according to The Guardian.
In August, Egypt's drug control fund received more calls about Tramadol than any other drug.