A British woman detained in Cambodia says she was unknowingly used as a drug courier after 34.5 kilogrammes of cannabis were allegedly found in her luggage at Techo International Airport.
British media identified the woman as Tamara Martins, from Croydon, London. The 31 year old was reportedly detained while preparing to leave Cambodia on September 3.
Cambodian customs said a foreign passenger was stopped at the airport’s departures terminal at around 5.25pm after being flagged by passenger risk-screening systems and baggage checks.
Officers reportedly found 71 packages of dried plant material suspected to be cannabis, weighing a total of 34.5 kilogrammes. The passenger, seized material and other evidence were handed to Cambodia’s Anti-Drug Department for further investigation.
British reports published this week identified Martins as the traveller and said she maintains that she did not know drugs were inside the luggage.
Martins reportedly said a man approached her at a bar and offered her money to carry a suitcase back to the United Kingdom. She claims she was told the case contained electronic equipment and only discovered the alleged cannabis when airport staff searched her luggage.
Her younger brother, Trey, said he did not know his sister was in Cambodia until she contacted him after her detention. He is now caring for her 10 year old daughter and seeking legal assistance for Martins.
According to her family, Martins was initially able to speak with relatives while being held at a tourist detention facility, but later lost access to her phone after being transferred to a women’s prison.
She has also described difficult conditions in detention, reportedly telling her brother in a letter that she was struggling to sleep and eat.
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office confirmed that it is supporting a British national detained in Cambodia and is in contact with local officials.
British reports say Martins believes she could face between 10 and 20 years in prison. No publicly available Cambodian court documents confirm the precise charge or potential sentence in her case.
The UK government has warned about a sharp rise in British nationals being detained overseas on suspicion of drug smuggling.
Official figures released this month showed that new overseas drug-smuggling cases involving Britons increased from just over 80 in 2023 to more than 340 in 2025, with more than 160 cases recorded so far in 2026.
The Foreign Office has warned that criminal groups may recruit travellers with offers of free trips, easy money or low-risk work while misleading them about what is inside the luggage they are asked to carry.
In related news
- Belgian woman detained at Phuket Airport after cannabis found in luggage
- Four jailed over £13.8m cannabis flown from Thailand
- Hong Kong seizes record 535kg cannabis shipment from Thailand
The story British mum claims set-up after Cambodia cannabis arrest as seen on Thaiger News.
