Brits Abroad has long been shorthand for chaos, from nightclub beatdowns and brawls over sun loungers to rape and murder charges at tourist hotspots around the world.
The Foreign Office says around 6,000 UK nationals are arrested overseas every year.
Ministers no longer publish country-by-country breakdowns, but the charity Prisoners Abroad confirms it is currently supporting nearly 1,126 Britons in foreign jails.
These figures only cover those who ask for help, yet they remain the clearest snapshot of where our nationals are ending up behind bars.
And the behaviour spans the full scale: low-level drunken bust-ups, public disorder and petty fights on the strip, through to serious crimes including drug smuggling, armed robbery and kidnap plots.
Drug offences account for 40 per cent of cases handled by the organisation, while sexual crimes make up nearly 14 per cent of crimes its clients are accused of. Others include murder, property theft, fraud, and smuggling.
The neon strips of Phuket, the beaches of Brazil, and the resorts of the Caribbean have all seen Britons hauled before the courts.
Australia, the United States and parts of South America also rank among the hotspots, with drunken assaults, drug busts and violent clashes making headlines year after year.
From a crypto broker thrown from a Costa del Sol balcony to armed robbers hunted down in Koh Samui, Britain’s reputation abroad is once again being dragged through the mud.
According to figures, around 16 to 18 million Brits visit Spain each year. Back when the Foreign Office still published arrest tables, Spain constantly topped the charts with more UK nationals arrested there than anywhere else.
The government stopped releasing the breakdowns in 2014, but the trend has persisted. Prisoners Abroad confirms it is currently supporting 92 Britons in Spanish jails, the highest figure in Europe.
Recent cases of Brits getting into trouble underscore why it remains one of the hotspots for unruly tourists.
Two British women were filmed in a brutal brawl in Spain in June. Brits abroad have developed a reputation for bad behaviour
In June, footage from Tenerife showed two British women clawing at each other outside the Las Verónicas nightclub strip.
One tackled the other to the ground before raining down punches as bystanders whooped and filmed on their phones. After the footage was shared on social media, many raised concerns over the behaviour of Brits abroad.
One person said: ‘What a disgrace, and it’s only getting worse,’ while others said the trend was becoming ‘unbearable’.
And in Ibiza, a so-called sunset boat party ended in carnage when dozens of Brits erupted into a mass brawl on deck. Chairs flew, punches were thrown, and a man was plunged into the sea as other tourists and locals looked on in horror.
The chaos is not just confined to fist fights and petty disturbances.
Last month, a British national was put behind bars for their alleged involvement in a UK crime syndicate that stole a car and took it on holiday in Ibiza to commit further crimes.
Police began to probe a group of Brits after determining they had flown into the island with criminal intentions. The car was caught on CCTV speeding off after stealing €100,000 worth of goods and recklessly bumping into road barriers as it escaped.
The car was later burned and left abandoned to conceal any evidence. That was not enough to prevent cops from sniffing out their hiding spot and recovering the goods.
In July 2025, Civil Guard officers at Ceuta’s ferry terminal arrested a 69-year-old British man after discovering 62 kilos of cannabis resin hidden in a secret compartment in the roof of his UK-registered car.
The haul, branded with names like ‘Dream Gelato’ and ‘Cereal Milk,’ was bound for a ferry to Algeciras. Authorities were only alerted when w sniffer dog caught wind of the packages. He now faces charges under Spain’s tough drug trafficking laws.
In February, a cryptocurrency broker leapt 30 feet from a Costa del Sol balcony in a desperate bid to escape kidnappers.
Cops arrested three Brits and recovered several weapons after another cryptocurrency broker escaped his kidnappers in Spain
The 34-year-old Briton broke both ankles in the fall, but the gamble saved his life. He had been lured to an apartment in Estepona, tied up, threatened with torture and forced to transfer €30,000 in crypto.
Police later raided the flat and arrested three British suspects, seizing guns, knives, cash and pink cocaine. Officers later released dramatic footage of the swoop.
A woman who locals said was the party organiser also ended up in the sea. The party is said to have been cancelled due to the violence.
For years, Brits abroad have been known for clashing over sun loungers.
Dubbed the sun lounger wars, many have been filmed in heated arguments over them, while others have been seen sneaking out to the poolside at early hours of the morning just to secure one.
One hotel in Spain was even forced to hire a bouncer to help break up potential fights between Brits and other tourists.
Many say these incidents and more have contributed to the growing anti-tourism sentiments in many Spanish holiday destinations.
In May, a woman who lives in Ibiza shared a video of rowdy Brits on an easyJet flight from Luton to the island and pleaded with authorities to stop letting in ‘wild animals
With over a million British visitors each year, Thailand has long carried one of the highest arrest rates for tourists from the country, and the cases keep coming.
Holidaymakers in Phuket were stunned when four British tourists allegedly carried out a gangster-style robbery earlier this month.
Hussain Meer, 26, Mir Wayne Carew, 25, Yanne Sarkawt, 25, and Malique Kai Walters, 27 are said to have knocked American lawyer Ibrahim Iyun off his motorbike before holding him at gunpoint and stealing his $75,000 Audemars Piguet watch.
Police say the men had targeted him after spotting him with the watch at the popular holiday destination.
Police say the Brits held the American lawyer down and stole his watch
The suspects now face armed robbery and firearms charges that could bring decades behind bars.
Months before that, in May, Thai cops arrested Ben Ashton, 37, who had been permitted to stay in the kingdom as a tourist. Authorities allege they discovered he was posing as an influential businessman in the Chaweng Beach tourist area of Koh Samui.
Further investigations revealed he had a previous fraud conviction in the UK, but had fled to live in Thailand before serving his sentence. His Thai visa was later revoked, and plans were made to send him back to the UK.
And in June, Thai police dramatically dismantled a scam centre in Samut Prakan province, arresting 13 foreigners, including six Britons.
The group had been running a boiler-room investment fraud targeting Australians, tricking victims into pouring nearly A$2 million into fake high-yield bonds.
Footage of the raid, obtained by Daily Mail, showed how cops uncovered phones, laptops, scripts and world clocks used to manage calls across time zones.
In July, a horrific video showed how a British national was beaten after allegedly racking up a £460 bill at a bar in Chiang Mai and refusing to pay.
The footage shows him being dragged out of the venue before multiple staff members attacked him.
Greece, where an estimated 4.5million Brits visit each year, has been another flashpoint for bad behaviour, from seedy nightclub antics to outright violence.
In Rhodes earlier this year, three Brits were convicted of attacking a nightclub owner in a brutal late-night assault. Aged 17 to 27, they were also accused of causing major damage to the venue.
The victim, 43, was beaten with chairs and a table after he attempted to break up a fight. One of the suspects is alleged to have threatened him with a knife. In the melee, a 42-year-old man is said to have lost four of his teeth, while a woman was punched in the eye.
The men were handed suspended sentences, while the 17-year-old was released on bail under court conditions.
One of the most notorious incidents this summer came from Corfu, where five British pole dancers were detained after filming themselves gyrating semi-naked at a historic landmark.
Five British women were filmed gyrating half naked on a pole at a historic landmark. The footage sparked outrage on social media
Some of the women, dressed in leotards and lingerie, were seen balancing on a pole outside the Old Palace of St. Michael and St. George.
The shocking footage, shared widely on social media, sparked outrage among locals who accused the women of desecrating cultural heritage.
Police detained the group and charged them with violating archaeological law and degrading the surrounding area. The women were said not to have understood the gravity of their actions before the video went viral.
It was hardly the first raunchy scandal – back in 2008, in Zakynthos, nine British women were charged after staging an oral sex competition in a nightclub.
The stunt, which was filmed and was set to be uploaded on social media, drew condemnation from Greek authorities who accused the women of humiliating themselves and tarnishing the island’s tourist image.
Six British men were also charged for the incident, which happened at Laganas Beach. The women were said to have been paid to participate and faced prostitution charges, while the men were accused of encouraging the act.
Even pensioners have been caught – in one case, an elderly British tourist was arrested on suspicion of secretly taking photographs of children on a beach, sparking fury among locals.
With 4million people visiting each year, Turkey has seen some of the ugliest flare-ups of British tourist behaviour in recent years, with violent clashes making global headlines.
Earlier this month, British tourists further dragged the nation’s reputation through the mud when six of them were seen in a mass brawl with shopkeepers in Alanya.
What started as a heated exchange of words quickly escalated into a mass brawl between six Brit tourists and Turkish shopkeepers
According to local media, the row began outside a boutique on Atatürk Street when the holidaymakers got into a heated exchange with a local shopkeeper who had been sitting at the entrance of his store.
The shopkeeper was headbutted and punched to the floor, and other traders rushed to his aid.
What ensued was full-on carnage as sticks, loose objects, and a paving stone were all hurled at each other.
The Brits retreated to a nearby hotel after they were outnumbered. According to cops, several people suffered injuries.
In another brawl that involved two British women in June, ‘jealousy’ was said to be the catalyst of the mayhem.
The pair were seen exchanging words before they clashed, and one was thrown to the ground with kicks and punches being thrown.
Although the fight appeared to have de-escalated at one point when the women entered a shop, they emerged moments later and began tussling on the ground.
The fight made headlines in Turkey with speculation running rampant about what may have caused the chaos.
In June, two women were pictured in a brawl in Turkey. Luckily for them, authorities did not bring legal charges against them
Authorities said the women were ultimately separated and calmed down.
They also said there was no need to bring legal charges against any of them.
Disorderly conduct is not a rare occurrence – in June, a 34-year-old mother, Georgia Harrison, was arrested in Antalya after a drunken rampage left a hotel room shower damaged while she celebrated her boyfriend’s ‘Turkey teeth’ makeover.
She had initially attempted to flee the hotel but was arrested by police before they could get on a plane back home and forced to spend a day in jail.
Harrison was ordered to pay £15,000 to the hotel and set up a GoFundMe page to solicit donations.
She said: ‘All I know is I’ve done it. I’m sorry I was scared and I just tried to get away from it by trying to leave. ‘Yes, it was the wrong thing to do but I was scared and not thinking straight maybe if I didn’t I [wouldn’t] be in this mess.
‘I know only I am to blame and my actions are the reason I cannot see my daughter.’
Georgia Harrison was celebrating her boyfriend’s Turkish teeth when she smashed up the bathroom of a hotel
The pair tried to flee after the bathroom was destroyed but authorities caught up with them
Even thousands of miles from home, British tourists have managed to turn paradise into pandemonium.
Despite its strict rules and hardline approach to justice, nearly 400,000 Brits flock to the destination.
While there, many have landed themselves in hot water. In July, three Britons narrowly escaped Indonesia’s death row after being convicted of attempting to move cocaine disguised as dessert mix.
Lisa Stocker, 39, and her husband Jon Collyer, 38, were stopped at Bali airport in February with nearly a kilo of cocaine concealed in 17 packets, worth an estimated £300,000.
Authorities later detained 31-year-old Phineas Float, accused of arranging to receive the consignment, a few days after the initial arrests.
A Balinese court sentenced the trio from Hastings and St Leonards, East Sussex, to 12 months behind bars.
Given the time they have already served, they could walk free as early as the beginning of 2026. Under Indonesian law, the three might have faced capital punishment for their role in a narcotics deal.
The trio were spared the death penalty and could now be released from prison early next year
Executions for drug crimes have been paused since 2017, although severe sentences remain common, and previous presidents have signed off on foreign death penalties.
Ordinary civilians are not the only ones who get accused of wrongdoing while on holiday.
In October 2024, British rapper and YouTuber Yung Filly, whose real name is Andrés Felipe Valencia Barrientos, was arrested in Brisbane, Australia.
He was extradited to Perth, where he faces charges including four counts of sexual penetration without consent, three counts of assault occasioning bodily harm, and one count of strangulation.
The alleged incident occurred on September 28, 2024, in a hotel room in Hillarys, Perth, following a nightclub performance.
Barrientos has pleaded not guilty to all charges. In addition to the Australian charges, Barrientos is reportedly under investigation in Spain for a separate sexual assault case involving a British tourist in Magaluf, which allegedly took place in the summer of 2024.
As of September 2025, Barrientos has been granted permission to return to the UK temporarily under strict bail conditions.
He is required to return to Western Australia by January 7, 2026, and must surrender his passport upon his return.
Yung Filly seen leaving a court in Perth after a brief appearance. He was arrested on rape charges while in Australia in October 2024
Also in Australia, a British traveller pled guilty to fatally striking a man while riding an e-scooter drunk in Perth.
Alicia Kemp, 25, from Redditch, Worcestershire, had been drinking heavily on a Saturday in May before she and a friend were removed from a bar.
Later that evening, they rented an electric scooter, with Kemp at the controls. She was travelling at about 20 to 25 km/h when she collided with 51-year-old Thanh Phan from behind as he walked along a city pavement.
Phan, a father of two, hit his head and died in a hospital two days later from a brain bleed. Kemp’s passenger also suffered serious head injuries but survived.
She is set to appear in court again on October 31 and could face up to 20 years in prison.
Although Dubai sells itself as a glittering playground for holidaymakers, it can quickly turn into a nightmare for Britons who ignore its strict laws, with even minor slip-ups leading to prison time.
The United Arab Emirates attracts up to 1.5million Brits each year. Out of those, many have found themselves in hot water.
In 2020, a number of partying Brits were seen on video as multiple brawls broke out at the luxurious Five Palm Jumeirah hotel.
Visitors filmed the men brawling in the lobby, a lounge area, and outside the entrance of the hotel. Despite the hotel’s owner insisting some of the brawls were staged, the videos went viral on social media, with people hitting out at those involved.
More recently, the mother of a 23-year-old Brit revealed that her daughter had been sentenced to life in Dubai.
Mia O’Brien was locked up after police caught her with 50g of cocaine worth £2,500. Her mother, Danielle, later set up a GoFundMe page to help raise funds so she could visit her daughter.
Mia O’Brien’s mother says her daughter has been sentenced to life in a Dubai prison after cops found her with 50g of cocaine
In other parts of the world, young Britons are also facing grave allegations that could see them spend decades in prison.
Nineteen-year-old Bella May Culley from Billingham, Teesside, was detained at Tbilisi airport in May after arriving from Thailand.
Georgian authorities allege she was carrying 12 kilograms of cannabis and 2 kilograms of hashish hidden in her luggage.
Culley insists she was coerced, claiming she was threatened, ‘branded with a hot iron’ and unaware of what she was transporting.
And in Sri Lanka, former flight attendant Charlotte May Lee, 21, from Coulsdon, south London, was arrested on May 12 after customs officers claimed her bags contained 46 kilograms of ‘kush’ worth more than £1 million.
Lee denies knowing anything about the drugs. Both women remain in custody as investigations continue.
British tourists have built a reputation for turning dream holidays into nightmares. Charity groups and lawyers have pointed to alcohol as being at the centre of many of the troubles, with cheap drinks and all-inclusive packages fuelling violence and disorder in resorts from Ibiza to Zante.
Away from the bars, some Britons are being drawn into serious crime, from trafficking drugs across borders to joining international scam networks.
These stories reinforce the ‘Brits Abroad’ label that has become shorthand for drunken antics, street fights and criminal trials.
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .