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| Laura Plummer latest: British woman jailed in Egypt over painkillers set to be freed | Laura Plummer latest: British woman jailed in Egypt over painkillers set to be freed |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| A British woman who was jailed in Egypt on drug-smuggling charges is reportedly preparing to be freed within the next two days. | A British woman who was jailed in Egypt on drug-smuggling charges is reportedly preparing to be freed within the next two days. |
| Laura Plummer, 33, from Hull, was sentenced to three years in prison in December for taking 290 Tramadol tablets into the country in her suitcase. | Laura Plummer, 33, from Hull, was sentenced to three years in prison in December for taking 290 Tramadol tablets into the country in her suitcase. |
| But her family understand she will not have to serve rest of her sentence, after she was pardoned by President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, The Sun reported. | But her family understand she will not have to serve rest of her sentence, after she was pardoned by President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, The Sun reported. |
| The President, who is able to issue pardons to prisoners, is reportedly expected to announce her release on Saturday. | |
| Ms Plummer's sister, Jayne Synclair, told the newspaper: "We can't believe it's over. We've prayed for this day since she was arrested. | Ms Plummer's sister, Jayne Synclair, told the newspaper: "We can't believe it's over. We've prayed for this day since she was arrested. |
| "We just want to get her home." | "We just want to get her home." |
| The 33-year-old is reported to have told her family: "I never thought this day would come. I'd given up hope." | The 33-year-old is reported to have told her family: "I never thought this day would come. I'd given up hope." |
| The shop worker was arrested at the airport on 9 October last year when she flew into the Red Sea resort of Hurghada after she was found to be carrying the Tramadol tablets in her suitcase. | The shop worker was arrested at the airport on 9 October last year when she flew into the Red Sea resort of Hurghada after she was found to be carrying the Tramadol tablets in her suitcase. |
| She was told she could face 25 years in prison or even death, but was sentenced to three years in jail on Boxing Day. | She was told she could face 25 years in prison or even death, but was sentenced to three years in jail on Boxing Day. |
| Tramadol is a painkiller that is legal in the UK, but banned in Egypt. The synthetic opioid is often used as a heroin substitute and one Egyptian minister has said Tramadol is the most abused drug in the country. | Tramadol is a painkiller that is legal in the UK, but banned in Egypt. The synthetic opioid is often used as a heroin substitute and one Egyptian minister has said Tramadol is the most abused drug in the country. |
| The scale of the problem in Egypt could be the reason the authorities brought proceedings against Ms Plummer. | |
| A court heard she was taking the tablets for her Egyptian partner, Omar Caboo, who suffers from severe back pain and did not know what she was doing was wrong. | |
| A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: "We continue to provide assistance to Laura and her family and our embassy remains in regular contact with the Egyptian authorities." | |
| Additional reporting by PA | Additional reporting by PA |
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