What was supposed to be a short visit to see friends in Dubai has turned into a life-altering ordeal for a young British woman.
At just 23 years old, Mia O’Brien from Huyton, Merseyside, is now serving a 25-year prison sentence in the Middle East after being convicted of drug offences.
Arrest and Conviction
Mia, a law student at Liverpool University, was arrested in October after authorities found 50 grams of cocaine in an apartment.
Despite pleading not guilty in court, she was convicted after a single-day hearing on July 25.
Alongside the prison sentence, she was also fined the equivalent of £100,000.
In the UK, the amount she was caught with would carry a street value of about £2,500.
Still, the punishment in Dubai was far harsher than her family ever imagined.
Life Inside Dubai Central Prison
Since her conviction, Mia has been held in Dubai Central Prison, sharing a cramped cell with six other women, most of whom are Nigerian inmates.
Her mother, Danielle McKenna, says the conditions are shocking—Mia sleeps on a thin mattress on the floor, has to bang on a locked door for help, and has witnessed frightening fights between inmates.
“She’s devastated,” Danielle shared. “Mia feels like she’s ruined her life. She’s scared but trying to stay strong.”
A Family in Shock
Danielle, a mother of five, says she was blindsided by the news.
She insists Mia had never been in trouble before, wasn’t a drug user, and had no interest in the influencer lifestyle often associated with young women traveling to Dubai.
“She paid for her own flight out of her savings,” Danielle explained. “She only planned to stay a few days.
I don’t think she was bringing drugs back or selling them—she’s just been caught up in something bigger.”
The Trial and Sentence
According to Danielle, Mia’s trial was conducted entirely in Arabic, with her lawyer later informing her of the outcome.
The family believes she did not receive a fair hearing.
“She was given a life sentence, which means 25 years,” Danielle said.
“She just broke down on the phone and asked me to forgive her.”
An Appeal in Motion
Mia has not yet paid the heavy fine but is preparing to appeal in the coming weeks.
Her family is also hoping she could be sent back to the UK under clemency deals that sometimes take place after Ramadan.
For now, Mia is trying to keep her head down while coping with prison life.
She has developed rashes from the harsh conditions but has otherwise managed to avoid serious illness.
A Mother’s Heartbreak
The hardest part for Mia, her mother says, is being separated from her family—especially her two youngest brothers, who are just five and seven.
“She misses them terribly,” Danielle said. “She keeps saying she just wants to come home.
I want her home too. She’s my only daughter, and I never in a million years thought this would happen.”
Innocent or Caught in the Middle?
While some speculate Mia may have been set up, Danielle doesn’t believe she was part of a trap.
Instead, she thinks her daughter has been swept into a miscarriage of justice.
“The drugs weren’t packaged for sale—they were in one big lump,” she said. “She wasn’t paid to go there.
She just made a terrible mistake, and now she’s paying the price.”