Stourport man jailed after authorities mistake friend's ashes for ketamine
A man spent five nights in jail after Canadian authorities mistook the ashes of his dead friend for ketamine.
Russell Laight, from Stourport, has spoken of his ordeal as he was finally reunited with the cremated remains.
Russell and his friend Richard Croft picked up the ashes of their pal, Simon Darby, from the Canadian airport in Halifax.
The 41-year-old said he was relieved to finally have the ashes in his possession.
Simon died of cancer in December.
Russell said: "I feel a lot more relaxed now I've got the ashes back, I didn't think we would get them to be honest."
He was flying from Heathrow to Halifax, Nova Scotia, on March 2 when his flight was diverted to St John's International Airport in Newfoundland due to bad weather.
As Russell went through customs his bag, which was torn during the flight, was searched by border agents who suspected the ashes in his bag were class B drug ketamine.
He said: "I'm really cheesed off this happened in the first place. I was treated like a criminal. Being locked up for five days and unable to prove your own innocence was so surreal – it was like being in a film."
Tests revealed the ashes didn't contain the banned substance and he was freed on March 7. Russell, who suffers from arthritis and IBS, said he found the whole experience upsetting and is now seeking compensation.
