Britons arrested abroad for drug smuggling quadruple as gangs target vulnerable

The number of British nationals arrested abroad for drug smuggling has quadrupled in three years, according to figures cited in reports on the cases. Criminal gangs are using social media to target vulnerable people, and women and people under 35 are increasingly affected.

The reported figures show just over 80 Britons were arrested in connection with drug smuggling in 2023. By 2025 that figure had risen to more than 340, and more than 160 cases had already been recorded in 2026. Last year, 28% of new drug-related cases handled by one source were women, and most of those women were under 35. One legal source said they had dealt with about five cases in a year and had just received a new one two days earlier. All involved British nationals and all were women. Three had come for popular summer parties and were groomed into taking drugs. A recent case involved 26 pounds of cocaine in a suitcase and a British national.

The coverage centred on Natalie Duncan, a British woman arrested in Jamaica three years ago and found not guilty in 2025. She had gone on holiday with her young daughter while struggling with personal difficulties. At her hotel resort she met a man who befriended her. She said it was nice to be seen and listened to. On her last day he asked her to take some things back to the UK. She first refused because her suitcase was already too full, but agreed because she felt he had been good to her.

At the airport, a customs inspector asked whether she had anything to declare. A stick was used to poke her luggage and a white powder came out. She was told it was not coffee but cocaine. Duncan said she did not know what was in the luggage and had trusted the man blindly. She described feeling embarrassment and pain, and said he saw her at a vulnerable stage and built a friendship on a very vulnerable and rocky foundation. She spent around 30 days in a lockup, where she said there was no food and no representation, brown water came from the shower, about 12 women were held, and at one point they had to sleep head to toe. In February 2025, after around 30 days in detention and nearly a year and a half on bail in Jamaica, she was found not guilty. The judge said she believed Duncan was unaware she was carrying drugs. She said she shouted hallelujah, felt like she would collapse, and later felt angry and hurt. She also said she experienced more depression after the verdict.

Duncan said a support worker named Natasha was a point of contact, believed her and walked her through the process. She said the support kept her sane while she was out. She said she wanted to share her story to stop it happening to someone else.

The report also set out cases where knowledge was disputed. Torreya Stapleton and Genevieve Sanusi were both 21 when they were arrested at the same airport as Duncan. They were found with cocaine on them, denied knowing about the drugs and were both found guilty. One legal source said most cases involve extreme naivety, but some people know what they are doing.

The problem is not limited to Jamaica. Thailand has become a hotspot since it fully decriminalised marijuana in 2022, with alleged drug smuggling cases appearing around the world. Last year authorities made around 66,000 drug seizures coming into Thailand, a 65% increase on the previous year. Families of people held abroad also described a sense of grief, including mothers who will not see their children for months and relatives who have to explain that a parent is in custody overseas. Duncan said she was grateful to be found not guilty because it could have gone a different way.