British woman, 21, locked up in Dubai over drugs charges after moving for new job

Isabella Daggett was arrested during a drug raid (Picture: Facebook)

The family of a British woman who was arrested on drug charges shortly after moving to Dubai have said police arrested the wrong person.

21-year-old Isabella Daggett moved from Leeds after getting a new job in the city,but just weeks after making the journey,she was thrown into a ‘hideous’ prison.

Isabella faces charges of drug possession after authorities carried out a drug raid – but her family say she was in the ‘wrong place’.

Grandmother Heather Smith told the Mail: ‘Bella has been locked up because she was in the wrong company. Wrong place,wrong time. Wrong boyfriend.

‘She was arrested with a lad,who was not her boyfriend,with whom she was staying because things had fallen through with another house.’

She posted often on social media before her arrest (Picture: Facebook)

Isabella’s grandmother said that shortly before her arrest,Isabella had shared plans to move home to Leeds as she ‘knew something wasn’t right’.

Heather added: ‘Women get treated far worse than male prisoners,who get to go outside,they get sports,a PlayStation and a television – Bella has nothing.

‘She hasn’t had a shower for a month,she hasn’t had a change of clothes for three months. She has had nothing.’

Isabella’s mother,Lucinda,has started a GoFundMe page to help bring Bella home,with a goal of £5,500 – but have only managed to make £1,000 so far.

‘We have proof she was not involved in these charges and are determined to fight for her freedom. The hideous conditions she is living in is enough to break any mother’s heart,’ Lucinda said.

Her family say the charges are false (Picture: Facebook)

A Foreign Office spokesperson told Metro: ‘We are supporting the family of a British national who has been arrested in the United Arab Emirates and are in contact with the local authorities.’

The country has a zero-tolerance approach to drugs with severe punishment – including the death penalty – and many Brits have fallen foul of the laws.  

Last week,Sam Dorman,from Glossop in Derbyshire,was sentenced to 40 years in jail after he was found with £2,000 in cocaine.  

In 2021,London football coach Billy Hood was jailed for 25 years after cannabis oil was found in four vape liquid bottles in his car. His sentence was later reduced to 10 years.  

The same year,chef Luke Tully spent 19 months in jail when police thought a text message was a drug order – it was a table booking for 10 people,not 10 kg of cocaine.