Moment Brit 'drug mule' couple facing 30 years in jail are arrested in Turkey airport
British couple Holly Cooper and Taylor Johnson, both 20, were arrested at Istanbul airport where police accused them of being part of a 'drug mule' operation and found cannabis in their luggage.
Footage taken at the airport by Turkish customs officers showed the couple being taken to the luggage carousel and then being taken aside once they'd retrieved their bags.
The couple were led into a room and an officer was filmed searching their luggage, cutting open a package inside their bag and picking out a bulb of cannabis.
They were then seen being led away through the airport and put into vans.
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Cooper and Johnson had been flying back to the UK from Thailand on 26 April when they were arrested at Istanbul Airport while getting their connecting flight.
According to The Sun, customs officials found 17 vacuum packed bags in the couple's bags which contained a total of 19.2kg of cannabis.
They add that the couple had been seated on their connecting flight back to the UK but a 'risk analysis' flagged that a passenger was a suspect, so they were ordered to disembark the plane and taken to the carousel to collect their luggage.
If convicted of drug smuggling the couple could face between 10 and 30 years behind bars, and a family friend told The Sun they were 'good kids' who made a mistake.
They said: "Ok, they’ve done something stupid this time, but everyone makes mistakes.
"They’ve been recruited and groomed by bigger criminals and exploited by them. They are alone in a Turkish prison. It’s shocking and apparently Taylor has been beaten up. The families are in bits."
A GoFundMe established by friends of Johnson appears to have been taken down.
An FCDO spokesperson said: "We are providing support to two British nationals detained in Turkey as well as their families, and are in touch with local authorities."
A number of Brits have been detained on suspicion of being 'drug mules', with the likes of Bella Culley arrested and charged with drug offences in Georgia before she made a plea bargain and was able to return to the UK.
Other Brits abroad who have been arrested after being accused of transporting drugs include:
Charlotte May Lee
Former flight attendant Lee, 21, from Coulsdon, south London, was arrested at Bandaranaike International Airport in Sri Lanka in May 2025, accused of having two suitcases containing 46kg of synthetic drug 'kush'.
She was travelling from Bangkok, Thailand and claims the drugs were placed in her luggage without her knowledge. She faces up to 25 years in prison.
Cameron Bradford
Bradford, 24, from Stevenage, Hertfordshire, was arrested in Munich after smuggling 20kg of marijuana from Thailand
She says she was threatened by a man who employed her as an escort and forced to take the suitcase.
Ultimately, she was handed a two-year suspended sentence.
Jonathan Collyer, Lisa Stocker and Phineas Float
Collyer, 38, and Stocker, 39, from Hastings, were detained in Indonesia after police found 993 grams of cocaine hidden in a powdered dessert mix.
Float, 31, was detained as an accomplice two days later.
The trio had been facing the death penalty under Indonesia's strict drug laws, but were instead jailed for a year.
Why are Brits being targeted by drug smuggling gangs?
Speaking to the Daily Mail, an expert explained British nationals were being approached by drug smuggling gangs due to the strength of their passports, but this could end up meaning Brits are treated with more suspicion by airport authorities.
"That's why they are being picked up more, because they are being picked on more. If it's a run on Brits, this could sustain for years," they said.
Gary Carroll of the Claymore Advisory Group added that young women in particular were being targeted due to their interest in global travel.
"Smuggling drugs or packages where they're not entirely sure of the contents in exchange for free holidays and cash seems quite a lucrative offer," he said, explaining that free flights and accommodation were being used to lure travellers.
Joe Harker