Prosecutors in Egypt's Red Sea region have referred a British woman to trial before a criminal court for attempting to smuggle hundreds of powerful painkillers which are banned in the Arab country. The woman, 33-year-old Laura Plummer from Hull, has maintained her innocence since her arrest last month on arrival from Britain to Hurghada, a Red Sea resort city. Plummer has insisted the Tramadol tablets were for her Egyptian partner who suffers from chronic back pain. Tramadol is listed by Egyptian authorities as an illegal drug given its wide use as a heroin substitute. No date has yet been set for her trial. Convicted drug smugglers could face the death penalty in Egypt. At Saturday's hearing prosecutors renewed her detention for 15 days.
