British woman jailed in Egypt for smuggling is 'suicidal,' says family

A British woman jailed in Egypt for smuggling illegal painkillers into the country is reportedly suicidal after having been transferred to Cairo's notorious al-Qanater prison.

In her first reported comments since being jailed in October, Laura Plummer told her family during a recent visit that "she'll never make it out alive".

"I'm just not strong enough. This is my worst nightmare. It's a living hell and I want to die. I just can't bear it anymore," Plummer, 33, told The Sun newspaper.

Rachel and Jayne Plummer visited their jailed sister in Egypt, where she shares a cell with dozens of inmates in what has been described as "awful" conditions.

"The first sight of her has left me scarred for life. She hadn't eaten for a week and was drinking water out of a tap in the toilet," Jayne, 40, told The Sun newspaper.

"She says there are literally bodies lying on top of one another. Her nose touches the back of a woman's head - that's how close it is in there".

"If something isn't done soon she will kill herself," she added.

Laura Plummer was arrested in Egypt in October last year after 290 Tramadol tablets were discovered in her luggage.

Although legal in Britain, Tramadol is banned in Egypt and several other countries due to its abuse as a heroine substitute. 

Plummer was convicted on December 26 and sentenced to three years in prison.