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  "path": "/news/world/turkey-british-couple-smuggle-suitcases-cannabis",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-06T02:15:52.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.gbnews.com",
  "tags": [
    "Cruise ship with hantavirus outbreak to sail to Canary Islands as three people evacuated",
    "Two French soldiers found dead after losing communication during diving exercise",
    "British veteran sues Russia after being ‘starved, beaten and tortured’ by Vladimir Putin's forces",
    "smuggle heroin into the country",
    "released from prison in Chile",
    "The GB News Editorial Charter"
  ],
  "textContent": "\n\n\nA British couple has been arrested in Turkey after being accused of trying to smuggle suitcases full of cannabis into the UK.\n\nHolly Cooper and boyfriend Taylor Johnson, both 20, were arrested after landing in Istanbul on a flight from Thailand, according to reports.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe pair were on their way to embark on a connecting flight to London when officers took them aside for questioning.\n\nMr Johnson was then thrown into an overcrowded cell where he was beat by Turkish thugs, his family claimed.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nTRENDING\n\nStories\n\nVideos\n\nYour Say\n\nThey were then detained and moved into another jail, where the couple could be held up to a year before the case goes to court.\n\nThe couple - both form Wednesbury in the West Midlands - do not have their own lawyers, and are being represented by public defenders.\n\nIf convicted, the pair face up to 30 years in prison.\n\nDespite the allegations, a family friend has insisted the 20-year-olds are \"good kids\".\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nHe told The Sun: \"OK, they’ve done something stupid this time, but everyone makes mistakes.\n\n\"They’ve been recruited and groomed by bigger criminals and exploited by them. They are alone in a Turkish prison.\n\n\"It’s shocking and apparently Taylor has been beaten up. The families are in bits.\"\n\nFriends of the couple launched a GoFundMe to appeal for legal fees, which reportedly received £455 in just five days.\n\n### LATEST WORLD NEWS:\n\n\n\n\n  * Cruise ship with hantavirus outbreak to sail to Canary Islands as three people evacuated\n  * Two French soldiers found dead after losing communication during diving exercise\n  * British veteran sues Russia after being ‘starved, beaten and tortured’ by Vladimir Putin's forces\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nHowever, the crowdfunding appeal was later taken down.\n\nThey join the latest British citizens to be detained abroad for alleged drug smuggling.\n\nA 52-year-old man was arrested in Australia for allegedly attempting to smuggle heroin into the country, and an 80-year-old British man was released from prison in Chile after he was an alleged drug mule for methamphetamine.\n\nCharity Prisoners Abroad, which provides support to British citizens detained overseas, said it currently supports 1,166 Britons, 287 of which are drug-related charges.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe charity also said 68 per cent of all new cases are people under the age of 35.\n\nThe head of the National Crime Agency Border's Threat Team, Beki Wright, warned in 2025 to not \"risk your life\" for a free holiday.\n\nShe added: \"Couriers are risking a potentially life-changing conviction and prison sentence and we continue to target them as part of our ongoing efforts to break the supply chain.\n\n\"We continue to warn anyone who is tempted by a quick pay day or free holiday in return for smuggling drugs, such as cannabis, the risks are huge and the chance of getting caught is very high. It just isn’t worth it.\"\n\nAn FCDO spokesman said: \"We are providing support to two British nationals detained in Turkey as well as their families, and are in touch with local authorities.\"\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n**Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter**",
  "title": "British couple arrested in Turkey after 'trying to smuggle suitcases full of cannabis into UK'"
}