A British woman is reportedly spending 25 years in a Dubai prison following a drug bust.
The New York Post reports that Mia O’Brien was arrested in an apartment in Dubai, where authorities found 50 grams of cocaine. In addition to being handed a life sentence—for which she has to serve 25 years—she has also been fined $136,000 for around $3,377 worth of the drug.
“She pleaded not guilty—they don’t have a just trial over there,” the 23-year-old’s mother, Danielle McKenna, told the Daily Mail. “The trial was all in Arabic, and Mia was told of the sentence later by her lawyer.”
According to McKenna, O’Brien went to the apartment to see her friend and her boyfriend. “I don’t think she was asked to bring anything back. She was caught with cocaine in an apartment,” McKenna explained, adding that the other two have been “charged with drug dealing.”
McKenna said, “She is absolutely devastated by what has happened. Mia is being really strong, but I know she is going through a living hell.” O’Brien was studying law at the University of Liverpool. Her mom told the outlet that O’Brien now feels like she’s “destroyed” her career and life.
O’Brien is currently incarcerated at Dubai’s Central Prison, which is known for its deplorable conditions, including overcrowding and brutality from guards.
“Mia said she has to sleep on a mattress on the floor and shares the cell with six others,” her mother said. “The prison conditions are horrendous. There are no staff really, and she has to bang on a big door if she needs anything. She’s seen fights and said she has been really scared.”
O’Brien is preparing to appeal her life sentence soon.