A British woman has been convicted in Egypt of trying to smuggle a banned prescription painkiller into the country.

A court sentenced 33-year-old Laura Plummer to a three-year prison term Tuesday. Plummer was arrested in October when she arrived in Hurghada, a resort city along the Red Sea, and customs officers found hundreds of Tramadol pills in her luggage.  

Tramadol is banned in Egypt because it can be used as a recreational drug. Plummer has maintained the drugs were for her Egyptian boyfriend who suffers from chronic back pain.  

The verdict can be appealed.
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