A British mother who has been charged with attempting to smuggle cannabis into Mauritius, allegedly hiding it in her six-year-old son’s luggage, is reportedly being detained in the island destination’s infamous prison hellhole.
Natashia Artug is said to face more than a year on remand in the women’s wing of Beau Bassin Central Prison, situated just outside the capital Port Louis. This lengthy wait is understood to precede any court trial for the 35-year-old.
The facility, housing 135 female prisoners, has been branded as squalid, with inmates frequently forced to endure hours “under the scorching sun” outdoors. Artug joins a growing list of British women held abroad after becoming ensnared in alleged drug smuggling.
The mother-of-two was detained alongside six other Britons and her Romanian partner after allegedly attempting to transport 161kg of cannabis valued at £1.6million into Mauritius. However, London-based charity Justice Abroad, which is representing her, claims Artug was coerced into making the journey by individuals who threatened both her and her family.
Following the group’s British Airways flight from Gatwick landing at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport last month, authorities reportedly discovered 14kg of cannabis wrapped in cellophane and concealed within Artug’s young son’s wheeled suitcase.
Consequently, Mauritian officials are understood to be treating Artug’s case with the highest level of seriousness. The mother is currently held with four other British women, all from Cambridgeshire and arrested in the same operation, the Mirror reports.
The accused was initially detained alongside her son at the Anti-Drug and Smuggling Unit headquarters in Mauritius, allowing them to remain together under supervision.
Nevertheless, she is understood to have been moved to Beau Bassin Central Prison following the arrival of her son’s father, who reportedly travelled from Britain to collect the child and return him to the UK.
Artug, who hails from Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire, has yet to make any public statement regarding her ordeal.
A damning 2014 assessment of Mauritian prison facilities revealed they “did not always meet international standards”, with drug misuse documented across detention centres throughout the island.
Over half the female inmates at Beau Bassin Central Prison are thought to be foreigners, with most either serving time or awaiting trial for narcotics-related charges.
The US State Department’s Human Rights assessment identified a “lack of hygiene, sanitation, and basic medical care” as significant “problems” within the facility.
Commenting further on the institution, the report noted: “Given the lack of administrative remedies, inmates’ relatives sometimes turned to private radio stations to denounce hygiene conditions or other problems.”
The documentation did not clarify whether these concerns applied specifically to the women’s wing or the considerably larger men’s section.
However, it described prison record-keeping across the island as “adequate”, with prisoners permitted visits, the right to lodge complaints and opportunities for religious practice.
In response to the situation, a Foreign Office spokesman stated: “We are supporting a British national detained in Mauritius and are in contact with the local authorities.”