Egypt Sentences 74-Year-Old Briton to Death for Smuggling Marijuana

A British pensioner has been sentenced to death in Egypt after being found guilty of drug smuggling.

Charles Ferndale and four other men were first arrested in 2011 while trying to bring three tons of cannabis into Egypt from the Red Sea.

The death sentence, originally passed on April 7, was confirmed by a court in the coastal city of Hurghada on Monday. The other defendants, who come from Pakistan and the Seychelles, were also punished with capital sentences.

The Foreign Office voiced "extreme concern", adding that Britain opposed the death penalty in principle under all circumstances. "We're doing our utmost to prevent this execution," said a spokesman. Meanwhile, British consular officials had been in contact with Ferndale.

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