A British yoga teacher has been detained in Dubai two years after she was caught with £8,000 of illegal cash on a UK motorway.
Antonia Bettridge, from St Helens, Merseyside, was convicted for being in possession of criminal property in 2023 after police discovered the large sum of money in her glove box.
She had been pulled over just off the M62 in Warrington after officers spotted her bad driving.
Police grew suspicious of the then 21-year-old after she claimed to have no money, only for them to find the £8,000 inside her vehicle.
Bettridge, a personal trainer and masseuse, had been travelling home from a service station around 170 miles away from where she lived after 'doing a favour' for a friend.
Police found she had driven to Gordano Services on the M5, near Bristol, before quickly turning around to go home.
She admitted possessing criminal property and avoided jail in September 2023 - having been handed a 12-month community order with a rehabilitation activity requirement of up to 30 days, and 75 hours of unpaid work. She was also told to pay £1,200 in court fees.
Bettridge then moved to Dubai, remaining a personal trainer in the Middle East, according to her social media.
Antonia Bettridge (pictured) has been detained in Dubai two years after she was found with £8,000 of criminal cash in the glove box of her car
Bettridge has been working as a personal trainer in Dubai, as well as an events planner, it is understood
She has now been detained in the country, the Liverpool Echo reported, with the Foreign Office confirming a British woman held in Dubai is being supported by officials.
An FCDO spokesperson said: 'We are supporting a British woman detained in the UAE and are in contact with the local authorities.'
Bettridge, who also claims to be an events planner in the UAE, made the move to Dubai shortly after her conviction in the UK, it is understood.
To obtain a work visa in the country with a criminal record, a certificate of good conduct must be provided by the individual's home country, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development CIPD states.
It is not confirmed why Bettridge has been detained. The Daily Mail has contacted the FCDO for further comment.
