Prisoners Abroad is hearing increasing numbers of stories from families who say their relative has been led into carrying drugs after being promised a free or cheap holiday abroad. The person may be coerced by a new group they have become involved with, encouraged by someone they haven’t known long but have built up trust with, or duped at the end of the holiday into carrying drugs without feeling they have the option to say no. 

Whilst we cannot help on the legal side in cases like these, if you feel this has happened or may be happening to your family member, you should consider contacting one of the nominated ‘first responder organisations’ (such as the Salvation Army) with authority to refer individuals to the UK’s National Referral Mechanism (NRM).

Learn more about the NRM

The NRM is a framework for identifying and referring potential victims of modern slavery and ensuring they receive the appropriate support. Modern slavery is a complex crime, encompassing numerous and often intersecting forms of exploitation, including human trafficking, slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labour. Victims of these crimes may not always realise they are being trafficked or exploited, or that modern slavery has taken place, and reporting examples into the NRM can help build up evidence of trends and concerns around people being trafficked to carry drugs from overseas. 

Individuals who are recognised as a potential victim of modern slavery through the NRM also have access to specialist support for a period of at least 30 days. Support available to individuals referred into the NRM is tailored to individual circumstances, but might include access to relevant legal advice; accommodation; protection; and/or independent emotional and practical help. In the cases of those supported by Prisoners Abroad, this would only be available on return to England or Wales.

You do not have to be certain that someone is a victim of modern slavery to report what has happened; a first responder organisation can advise more about their responsibility to report to the UK authorities and what might happen as a result. 

It is important to warn anyone thinking of accepting a free or cheap holiday that there may be more to it than first appears. Carrying drugs inside the body can be life-threatening, and drug-related convictions often attract long prison sentences, with the death penalty imposed for drug trafficking in some countries. The risk simply is not worth it. Whilst the offer of a free holiday to an overseas destination may seem glamorous and appealing, it is vital to understand the laws of the country you are travelling to.

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FCDO travel advice 

We work closely with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to deliver our overseas work and support them in promoting their Travel Aware campaign. A lack of awareness of the local laws is not usually accepted as a defence.  Prisoners Abroad would urge anyone planning a trip abroad anywhere in the world to research local laws and customs thoroughly before travel. Conditions can vary enormously from prison to prison and country to country, and breaking the law can have very serious consequences. This is particularly true for drug offences, where penalties can be extremely severe in many countries. 

Search travel advice

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Overseas initiatives 

HAYAT is a Kuala Lumpur-based organisation committed to advocating for rehabilitative and restorative justice, with a focus on decarceration, drug policy reform, and the total abolition of the death penalty in Malaysia. They reached out to Prisoners Abroad as, in recent months they have noticed an emerging pattern of European nationals - and in particular, British citizens - arrested for drugs trafficking after accepting discounted holidays to Malaysia. Hayat would encourage families of those arrested to contact law enforcement in their home countries to report what has happened and ask if it is possible to investigate it.

Visit HAYAT's website

If you work for an NGO or organisation with a criminal justice focus based in a country where you have seen a similar increase in the arrest of British citizens and think we could collaborate or advise, please get in touch with us. 

If you need to contact us about the detention or imprisonment of a relative or friend, or about your own situation, please do so below.

Contact Prisoners Abroad

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