Tamara Martins thought she was carrying electronics. Cambodian customs say her suitcase held 71 packages and 34.5kg of cannabis. The British mother is now behind bars, reportedly facing up to 20 years as her brother cares for her young daughter.
British mother Tamara Martins is languishing in a Cambodian women’s prison after customs officers found 34.5kg of suspected cannabis in her luggage. The 31-year-old Croydon mother insists a mystery man duped her into carrying 71 packages after claiming the suitcase contained electronics. Now facing a reported 10 to 20 years behind bars, Martins has described overcrowded prison conditions as “hell”. Meanwhile, her brother is caring for her 10-year-old daughter in Britain. The dramatic case comes as British drug courier arrests surge across Southeast Asia, with 355 UK nationals now held over such accusations.
British mother Tamara Martins is behind bars in Cambodia after customs officers found 34.5kg of suspected cannabis in her luggage. The 31-year-old from Croydon was arrested at Techo International Airport on September 3. Officers reported finding 71 packages of dried plant material as she prepared to leave Cambodia. Martins insists she knew nothing about the drugs and believed she was carrying electronic equipment.
Instead, she says an unidentified man recruited her after approaching her in a Cambodian bar. According to Martins, he offered her money to carry a suitcase back to Britain. Crucially, she claims he told her the luggage contained electronic equipment. She accepted the suitcase and headed for the airport. But she never made it onto her departing flight.
Notably, the airport interception was reported in Cambodia weeks before British media publicly identified Martins. The original account also revealed how customs officers zeroed in on the passenger. It was not described as a routine random search. Rather, Cambodia’s Global Travel Assessment System, known as GTAS, reportedly generated an alert.
Airport scanners expose 34.5kg cannabis haul before British mother is stopped from leaving Cambodia
At the same time, baggage-scanner images raised further suspicions among airport officials. Customs officers then searched the luggage at about 5.25 pm in the departures area. Inside, they reported finding 71 separate packages of dried plant material. The substance was suspected to be cannabis and weighed 34.5kg net.
Following the discovery, officials handed the passenger to Cambodia’s Anti-Drug Department. The suspected drugs and other evidence went with her. Investigators then took control of the case for further investigation and prosecution. However, the first Cambodian account did not identify the passenger by name or nationality.
Later, British reports named the passenger as Tamara Martins, a 31-year-old mother from Croydon. Her arrest quickly became a major story after her family spoke publicly. Yet their account introduced another version of how the suitcase reached the airport. Martins says she was duped into carrying it.
According to her account, a man approached her while she was drinking in a Cambodian bar. He offered her money to transport luggage to Britain. Martins says she was specifically told that electronic equipment was inside. Therefore, she claims she had no idea that dozens of cannabis packages were packed in the suitcase.
Martins says mystery man paid her to carry suitcase but Cambodian investigators have not confirmed it
So far, Cambodian investigators have not publicly corroborated that account. They have not identified the man Martins describes. Nor has any arrest connected with her claimed recruiter been announced. Separately, investigators have not released communications between Martins and another person concerning the suitcase.
No financial transaction supporting the claimed arrangement has been disclosed either. Equally, no public evidence establishes how much Martins was supposedly offered. Her intended route after leaving Cambodia also remains unclear from the supplied material. Likewise, the available reports do not establish who financed her journey.
Several other details surrounding her trip remain unanswered. The supplied material does not establish exactly how long Martins had spent in Cambodia. It also does not identify where she obtained the suitcase. Furthermore, Cambodian investigators have not publicly said whether another suspect is being hunted. For now, Martins’ account remains her explanation for possessing the luggage.
Back in Britain, her younger brother received an unexpected and frantic telephone call. Trey Martins, 29, says he did not even know his sister was in Cambodia. Suddenly, she was calling him from detention thousands of miles away. He says she was crying and repeatedly telling him she had been arrested.
“All I heard was her crying. She said, ‘I’ve been arrested. I’ve been arrested,’ Trey recalled. He described his sister as panicked and confused during the conversation. “She was extremely erratic. She was upset, asking if I could do anything to help, and saying how sorry she was.”
Brother takes charge of Martins’ young daughter as frantic prison call reveals her Cambodian ordeal
According to Trey, his sister had no previous involvement with drugs or previous drug arrests. Meanwhile, her arrest immediately created another problem at home. Martins has a 10-year-old daughter in Britain. As a result, Trey took responsibility for caring for his niece while his sister remained incarcerated.
Reports say the child has not been told the full circumstances surrounding her mother’s absence. Her mother, meanwhile, was beginning an uncertain passage through Cambodia’s criminal justice system. Initially, Martins could still communicate directly with her family. She retained access to her telephone during the first stage of detention.
Her family described that location as a tourist detention centre. At first, Martins reportedly told Trey that officers had treated her relatively well. She was also permitted access to cigarettes. Then came a transfer which dramatically changed her circumstances.
Martins was moved into Correctional Centre 2, commonly known as CC2, in Phnom Penh. The facility houses female prisoners. Upon entering the prison, Martins lost access to her telephone. Consequently, regular communication with her family became far more difficult.
Since then, British reports have carried stark descriptions of the conditions Martins says she encountered. She reportedly shares accommodation with more than 60 other women. Some prisoners are said to sleep on the floor. In a letter to Trey, Martins described her conditions with one word: “hell”.
Martins describes prison conditions as hell as reports say she could face up to 20 years behind bars
Additionally, she told her brother she was struggling to sleep and eat. Another report said she had little or no money available inside prison. As a consequence, she reportedly struggled to obtain adequate food and basic personal items. Those items included underwear and sanitary products.
However, those prison descriptions originate primarily from Martins and her family. They have not all been independently verified through Cambodian prison officials. What is clear is that Martins remains in Cambodia’s prison system. Her case stems from the 34.5kg airport seizure.
On another front, reports about the possible punishment have caused confusion. Several British outlets say Martins could face up to 20 years behind bars. Martins reportedly told Trey she had received a grim warning. She said she had been told she faced between 10 and 20 years’ imprisonment.
Even so, the supplied material does not show that Martins has already been convicted. Nor does it establish that a Cambodian court has sentenced her to 20 years. No publicly available court document in the supplied material specifies her precise criminal charge. Accordingly, reports saying she has already received 20 years are unsupported by the available information.
The established sequence is much clearer. Cambodian customs officers stopped Martins at Techo International Airport on September 3. They reported finding 71 packages containing 34.5kg of suspected cannabis in luggage she carried. Afterwards, Martins and the evidence were transferred to the Anti-Drug Department. She has remained in custody as the case proceeds.
British officials step in as overseas drug courier cases surge and hundreds are held in Southeast Asia
In response, Britain’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office confirmed that consular officials are assisting a detained British national. However, the department did not publicly name Martins in its statement. “We are supporting a British National detained in Cambodia and are in contact with the local authorities,” it said.
The case also comes during a sharp rise in overseas drug-smuggling cases involving British nationals. British officials have already warned travellers about criminal networks recruiting international couriers. Government figures cited in the coverage show the scale of that increase. Just over 80 new British overseas drug-smuggling cases were recorded during 2023.
By 2025, the number had climbed above 340. Moreover, more than 160 new cases had already been recorded during 2026. The British Foreign Office says 355 British nationals are detained in Southeast Asia over drug courier accusations. Cannabis cases involving the region form part of that increase.
In particular, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia and Laos have appeared in recent British warnings and reports. Foreign Office Minister Stephen Doughty has also warned travellers about recruitment tactics. Criminal groups can offer cash or free travel for transporting luggage across international borders. In some cases, recruits receive false explanations about the contents.
Foreign Office warns of courier recruitment as travellers are offered cash or free trips to carry bags
For example, couriers may be told that bags contain clothes, cash, gold or other ordinary goods. Martins says she was given a similar explanation. She claims she believed the suitcase contained electronic equipment. At the airport, however, customs officers reported finding 34.5kg of suspected cannabis.
The sheer quantity was divided among 71 separate packages. Consequently, the luggage and its contents became the centre of the Cambodian criminal investigation. Martins does not dispute carrying the suitcase. Instead, she disputes knowing what was packed inside it.
Her explanation therefore turns on the unidentified man she says approached her in a bar. Martins says he offered her money for carrying the suitcase. More importantly, she says he misrepresented what was inside. Yet Cambodian investigators have not publicly confirmed that encounter.
Nor have investigators announced that they recovered messages supporting her account. No publicly disclosed financial trail establishes payment from another person. In addition, there is no public confirmation that Cambodian police are searching for a recruiter. The identity of the man described by Martins therefore remains unknown.
Martins says mystery recruiter supplied the suitcase but investigators have not publicly traced him
By contrast, the airport interception itself is much more firmly documented. The September 3 seizure reportedly began with advance passenger risk screening. Cambodia’s GTAS system flagged the traveller before departure. Scanner images then gave customs officers additional reasons to examine the luggage.
At approximately 5.25 pm, officers opened the suitcase in the departures area. They found 71 packages of dried plant material inside. Together, the packages weighed 34.5kg net. Customs officials suspected the material was cannabis.
Within hours, the passenger and seized material were transferred to specialist anti-drug investigators. The operation prevented the luggage from leaving Cambodia. Early reports did not name the traveller. Weeks later, British coverage identified Martins and revealed the impact of her arrest on her family.
In parallel, Trey Martins began caring for his sister’s 10-year-old daughter in Britain. He also became a crucial link between Martins and the outside world. During her initial detention, direct telephone contact remained possible. Once Martins entered CC2, however, that line of communication largely disappeared.
Airport risk screening and scanner images led customs officers to 71 packages weighing 34.5kg in luggage
Her subsequent letters painted a grim picture of prison life. She complained about overcrowding, food and sleeping conditions. She also reported difficulties obtaining basic personal supplies. Nonetheless, those accounts remain family-sourced descriptions rather than independently confirmed prison reports.
The criminal case itself remains focused on what officers found at the airport. Customs officials reported recovering 34.5kg of suspected cannabis from luggage under Martins’ control. The drugs were divided into 71 packages. Furthermore, the passenger had reportedly been flagged before officers searched the bag.
Against that evidence, Martins says she was an unwitting courier. She insists another person supplied the suitcase. She says that person claimed it contained electronics. However, no public Cambodian investigative finding has yet corroborated her version.
As part of the continuing case, British consular officials remain in contact with Cambodian officials. Martins remains imprisoned in Phnom Penh. Her daughter remains in Britain under her uncle’s care. Meanwhile, no final court outcome is established in the supplied material.
The possible sentence remains another major concern for her family. Martins says she was warned she could face between 10 and 20 years. Yet reports stating she has already received a 20-year term go beyond the available evidence. The case has not reached a confirmed final sentence in the supplied material.
Ultimately, the hard facts begin with a passenger preparing to leave Cambodia on September 3. Risk screening reportedly flagged her at Techo International Airport. Scanner images then prompted further scrutiny. Customs officers searched her luggage.
Martins remains behind bars as 34.5kg cannabis haul stays at the centre of her Cambodian criminal case
Inside were 71 packages weighing 34.5kg. Officials suspected the dried material was cannabis. Martins was arrested before leaving Cambodia and handed to anti-drug investigators. She has remained behind bars since then.
Now, Martins says the suitcase was never really hers. She insists she was paid to carry it for another person. She also says she believed electronic equipment was packed inside. Her family says she had no previous involvement with drugs.
Cambodian investigators, however, have not publicly identified the man she describes. They have not released evidence confirming her account. No second arrest connected with the suitcase has been announced. Therefore, the 34.5kg haul remains the central established evidence in the case.
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For Martins, the consequences have already been dramatic. She entered Techo International Airport expecting to leave Cambodia. Instead, customs officers opened her luggage and found dozens of packages of suspected cannabis. She was taken into custody and later transferred into a Phnom Penh women’s prison.
Thousands of miles away, her brother is now raising her 10-year-old daughter. British consular officials are following the case. Cambodian anti-drug investigators are pursuing it. Martins, meanwhile, remains behind bars as the case over the 71 packages moves forward.
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Further reading:
Top Bhumjaithai Party figure defends the party’s position on cannabis. Only supported medical use
