A British woman who spent nearly a year in a Dubai prison on drug-related charges has been released and returned to the UK, her family confirmed. Isabella Daggett, 22, from Leeds, was arrested in March 2025 after being accused of possessing illegal drugs. The charges were reportedly dropped by January, but she remained detained for two more months after being fined £3,000 for overstaying her work visa.
Ms Daggett flew home last Friday amid travel disruptions in the Middle East. A friend described the overstay fine as a 'kick in the teeth' after her ordeal. The self-employed beautician and modelling agency co-owner had moved to Dubai to take up a recruitment job last year, but was arrested shortly after arrival in a raid.
Dubai has some of the world's strictest drug laws, with even trace amounts of narcotics potentially leading to years in prison. Ms Daggett was held in a detention centre with a man she had been staying with, who was not her partner. Her grandmother, Heather Smith, attributed the incident to 'wrong place, wrong time, wrong boyfriend'.
Details of Ms Daggett's charges remain undisclosed. During her incarceration, her family reported that she was treated worse than male prisoners, denied a shower for a month and a change of clothes for three months. Since returning home, she has shared photos of a boating trip with her mother and expressed excitement about a holiday in Ibiza.
