Fresh details about Brit ‘drug mule’ Holly Cooper’s relationship with boyfriend Taylor Johnson have emerged through her final social media posts before the couple were arrested in Turkey over an alleged cannabis smuggling plot
Fresh details about the relationship between an accused British ‘drug mule’ couple have emerged through Holly Cooper’s final social media posts before their arrest in Turkey.
Holly Cooper, 20, and boyfriend Taylor Johnson, 20, are facing up to 30 years behind bars after allegedly attempting to smuggle two suitcases packed with cannabis back to the UK.
The young couple, from the West Midlands, were arrested after landing in Istanbul following a flight from Thailand, where they had been travelling last month. Now, a string of Holly’s social media posts shared before the pair were detained has offered an insight into their relationship.
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One post shared by Holly, seemingly referring to her financial situation, said: “I got my own money don’t nobody gotta like me or speak to me.”
Another appeared to reference the financial dynamic in her relationship with Taylor. Holly wrote: “My money is for fun stuff. My man’s money is for bills. It’s not to be confused.”
In another post tagging Taylor directly, she wrote: “I don’t care what happened, I call my man like he can fix everything.” Several more posts appeared to suggest the couple were extremely close before their arrest in Turkey.
One message read: “He crazy over me, he just don’t let y’all see that.” Another said: “He not letting me go sooo idk what to tell y’all.”
The social media activity offers an insight into the pair’s lives before they were stopped by customs officers in Istanbul on April 26. Holly, of Coseley, and Taylor, of Wednesbury, had reportedly travelled from Thailand and were attempting to catch a connecting flight to London when Turkish authorities allegedly discovered cannabis packed inside two suitcases.
The pair were then taken away for questioning by customs officers before being formally arrested. Family sources claim the ordeal quickly escalated after the young couple were placed into a crowded holding cell while prosecutors began preparing their case.
According to those close to the family, Taylor was allegedly beaten up while being held in detention. The pair are now awaiting their next court appearance in Turkey and could remain behind bars for many months before any trial begins.
It is understood they currently do not have private legal representation and are instead relying on public defenders assigned to them in Turkey. Friends of the couple launched a crowdfunding appeal to help raise money for legal fees as relatives desperately wait for updates, but it was removed by GoFundMe.
One family friend described the situation as a “nightmare” for those back home. They told The Sun: “Ok, they’ve done something stupid this time, but everyone makes mistakes. They’ve been recruited and groomed by bigger criminals and exploited by them. They are alone in a Turkish prison. It’s shocking and apparently Taylor has been beaten up. The families are in bits.”
The case has drawn comparisons to the infamous 1978 film Midnight Express, which told the story of an American student imprisoned in Turkey after being caught trying to smuggle drugs out of the country.
If convicted, Holly and Taylor could face sentences ranging from a minimum of ten years to as many as 30 years in prison under Turkey’s strict drugs laws.
Before their arrest, Holly had also shared pictures online from a holiday in Gran Canaria in February. It has been suggested the couple may have first come into contact with criminal gangs during that trip before later travelling to Thailand.
The pair’s arrest has become the latest in a string of high-profile cases involving young Britons accused of attempting to smuggle drugs through international airports.
One of the most notorious cases involved Michaella McCollum and Melissa Reid – dubbed the “Peru Two” – who were arrested in Lima in 2013 after being caught attempting to transport cocaine.
Holly’s aunt, Maxine Cooper, has confirmed her niece’s arrest. Meanwhile, concern continues to grow among the couple’s relatives as they remain detained overseas.
The Foreign Office confirmed it was assisting two British nationals being held in Turkey and said officials were in contact with their families.
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