British mother and daughter arrested after 'trying to fly back to UK with 42 kilos of cocaine in suitcases'

Oliver Partridge
Thu, 09 Apr 2026 21:06:06 +0000

A British woman and her teenage daughter were detained at Valencia airport after authorities allegedly discovered 42 kilograms of cocaine concealed in their luggage.

The pair, aged 47 and 19, had reportedly presented themselves as holidaymakers visiting Spain's eastern coastal city for the Easter period.

According to reports, the women were apprehended as they attempted to board a return flight to Birmingham, approximately three days after arriving in the country.

The class-A drugs had been distributed across two suitcases, with local media reporting the cocaine was contained within 23 separate packets, and also appeared in tablet form.

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Spanish authorities intercepted the mother and daughter last Thursday evening, shortly before Valencia's principal Easter celebrations were due to begin.

The women had entered Spain roughly three days before their attempted departure, during which time they allegedly maintained the pretence of being ordinary tourists enjoying the holiday season.

Their planned route home would have taken them directly to Birmingham, where they had reportedly booked flights prior to their detention.

Following their arrest, the two British nationals were brought before a judge at a court in Quart de Poblet - a municipality situated near Valencia's Manises Airport.

The judge ordered both women to be held on remand at a local prison facility pending further proceedings.

Spanish police have thus far declined to issue any formal statement regarding the case, though authorities are anticipated to release an official statement sometime soon.

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The mother and daughter remain in custody as investigators continue to examine the circumstances surrounding the alleged smuggling attempt, which represents one of the largest cocaine seizures involving British nationals at the airport in recent months.

The arrests follow a pattern of British nationals being caught attempting to smuggle drugs through Spanish airports.

In May last year, a British couple aged 33 and 34 were detained at the same Valencia airport after officers discovered 33 kilograms of marijuana in their bags.

The pair, who claimed to be tourists arriving from Thailand, were picked out due to their "nervous and evasive attitude", and were subsequently remanded in custody.

In a separate case last January, OnlyFans model Clara Wilson from Nottinghamshire received a three-year prison sentence after admitting to smuggling nearly £200,000 worth of cannabis through Barcelona's El Prat airport.