DRUGS LEAVE HUNDREDS OF BRITS BEHIND BARS OVERSEAS

Hundreds of British nationals are currently locked up in prisons across the globe for drug-related offences, often detained for months without trial and facing distressing living conditions. In Spain, consular staff dealt with over 100 drug-related arrests last year alone and drugs offences account for approximately three-quarters of the 172 Brits currently on remand or serving sentences in Spain.

Now the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), in conjunction with the charity Prisoners Abroad, is launching a campaign to highlight the consequences of the use, possession and smuggling of drugs in Spain and countries around the world.

The zero-tolerance approach of some countries often results in strict penalties which can come as a shock to British travellers. In Spain offenders may, in some circumstances, be held on remand for over a year before their trial. Even if released on bail, they will be unable to leave the country.

Offences that may carry cautions in the UK are often penalised with long prison sentences overseas. Some drug crimes can lead to even more severe penalties – 33 countries or territories enforce death sentences for drug offences**. In Spain, sentences can be as long as 20 years’ imprisonment in the case of hard drugs and up to 6 years and 9 months for soft drugs, with fines of up to six times the value of the drugs.

Prisoners Abroad is currently supporting 84 Britons between the ages of 18 and 30 who are being held in foreign countries for drugs offences – 62 are yet to face a trial.*

Here in Spain, the consequences of being detained for a drugs offence can be devastating, Will Middleton, Consular Director for Spain, comments:

“Being sent to prison overseas away from family and friends is very distressing and even more so if you don’t speak the language. We see people of all ages – from youngsters through to pensioners – who have lost their friends, their job, had to give up their studies or had their children taken into care and got into major financial difficulties because they did not think they would get caught.

“In the last year alone consular staff in Spain handled over 100 drug-related cases. If you or someone you know is involved in the illegal drugs trade, then the message is clear – the consequences are simply not worth it.”

Terry Daniels and Billy Burton are two British nationals that have seen valuable years of their life spent in prisons overseas. Terry was sentenced by a Spanish court to 10 years in prison for drug smuggling on the basis of guilt by association, while Billy was charged with smuggling marijuana out of the Philippines. Both want to see the number of Britons involved in drugs in other countries reduced and have described their experiences in a video to warn others not to make their mistakes.

Imprisoned in Spain – Terry Daniels

Terry Daniels was accused of smuggling a million pounds worth of cocaine from Brazil to Spain in 1997. She had been working in Brazil with her boss, a nightclub manager, and was travelling back to Spain with him when he was caught with the drugs in his suitcase. Terry maintains her innocence and said she had no idea that he was carrying the drugs. But a Spanish court prosecuted her on the basis of guilt by association. She served six days in prison before being granted bail, when she then returned to the UK.

A number of years passed and it appeared that the Spanish authorities had dropped the case. However, while living in Ireland in 2002 a police check revealed that she was still wanted in Spain. She had been prosecuted in her absence and her sentence (10 years in prison) was still outstanding.

In June 2003, she was arrested on an international extradition warrant. She was flown back to Spain and imprisoned in one of the country’s toughest mixed jails, Topas prison, near Salamanca in northwest Spain where she stayed for 19 months. She was then given permission to serve the remainder of her reduced sentence in the UK.

Terry says, “I will always love Spain and know that holidaymakers and expats alike have a great time there. But I would urge people not to get involved in drugs – not even recreational drug use which many may see as harmless. I got involved with drugs at a young age and paid the consequences – I ended up in Topas prison and everything in my life changed – it is not worth the risk.”

She now undertakes charity work on behalf of Fair Trials International and Prisoners Abroad and has recently published a book, ‘Passport to Hell’.

Filed under: http://www.theleader.info/article/41614/

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