Update after British mum arrested with son, 6, after allegedly smuggling £1.6m of cannabis in her child's suitcase
The mother allegedly responsible for smuggling drugs in her child's suitcase faces a year in prison in Mauritius as she awaits her trial.
Back on 22 June, a group of eight were caught and arrested upon their arrival at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Airport in Plaine Magnien after being found with approximately 161 kilograms of cannabis in their luggage.
This included a six-year-old child, as well as the six British nationals who were detained.
Authorities believed that the value of the drugs was in the region of £1.6 million, commenting on the use of a child as a drug mule as 'inhumane'.
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The incident was one in a flurry of alleged British drug mule cases in several locations across the world.
As a result of the alleged crime, it has been reported by several publications, including MailOnline, that the mother of the child is being held in a horrific prison in Mauritius.
Natashia Artug, 35, is a mother of two, and has been transferred to the women's section of the notorious Beau Bassin Central Prison.
She was initially held at the headquarters of the Anti-Drug and Smuggling Unit in Mauritius so she could stay with her son, whose bag was found with 14kg of cannabis.
But after his father was reported to have flown over to bring him back to the UK, Artug was taken to the facility.
Her representatives claimed that she was coerced into smuggling drugs by people who threatened her loved ones.
Along with the rest of the accused, her case is being treated seriously by local officials, as she is being held alongside the four other British women who were part of the group, all from Cambridgeshire.
Artug, who is from Huntingdon, has not commented on her experience yet, though she is expected to remain in the prison outside the capital Port Louis before being put on trial.
It's been said that the facility holds around 135 female inmates who have no choice but to spend extended periods of time 'under the scorching sun'.
A 2014 report on human rights practices in Mauritian prisons, carried out by the US Department of State, claimed that prisons on the island 'did not always meet international standards'.
It was further stated that drug abuse had been reported in the correctional facilities.
The report also mentioned a 'lack of hygiene, sanitation, and basic medical care'.
It added that 'inmates' relatives sometimes turned to private radio stations to denounce hygiene conditions or other problems' due to the lack of administration.
Among the details, it wasn't clear if these issues related more heavily to men's or women's sections of the prisons.
A Foreign Office spokesperson said of the ongoing case: "We are supporting a British national detained in Mauritius and are in contact with the local authorities."
Joshua Nair