British Personal Trainer, 25, Faces Life In Jail Over Drugs In Dubai As Family Beg For Bail

A personal trainer from St Helens in Merseyside has become the latest Brit to be busted in Dubai on drugs charges, and is now facing life imprisonment in the UAE city.

Antonia Bettridge, 25, was previously convicted in the UK for being in possession of criminal property after police found £8,000 cash in her glove box. She couldn’t account for where money came from, and was given a 12-month community order, 30 days of rehabilitation activity requirement and 75 hours of unpaid work.

After that, she moved to Dubai in 2023 and worked as a sports coach before moving into real estate and training to become a personal trainer.

Three years on, she’s been detained under suspicion of ‘possession of narcotics with intent to promote’, according to the Liverpool Echo.

Antonia is now facing a fine of AED 200,000 (£40,000) and life in prison, with Detained in Dubai revealing that authorities in Dubai do not need evidence of intention to promote or sell.

That’s a bit unfair, isn’t it?

Antonia’s mum, who has not been publicly named, can’t wrap her head around the idea that her daughter was in possession of drugs.

She said: “Antonia’s whole life revolves around fitness and healthy living. She doesn’t live a party lifestyle.

“She moved to Dubai to build something positive for herself. We are devastated and just want clarity about what has happened.

“With everything happening in the region at the moment, it is incredibly frightening knowing our daughter is in detention and we cannot reach her. We are worried sick. We just want her to be safe and to have the opportunity to prepare her defence properly.”

Fair point really. It’s bad enough being trapped in Dubai while Iran and Israel are firing missiles at each other, without also being imprisoned in the city at the same time.

It serves as a healthy reminder to the rest of us that if there’s one thing you do not want to do in Dubai – or any country that has a zero tolerance policy on this sort of thing – it’s to be caught with drugs on you. When will these people learn? It’s just simply not worth the risk.

For the Brit who died after a bag of cocaine burst in his stomach while on a plane to Dubai, click HERE.