Two British men face jail terms of four years each after being arrested in the tourist hot-spot of Dubai for possessing small quantities of drugs

Two British men face jail terms of four years each after being arrested in the tourist hot-spot of Dubai for possessing small quantities of drugs, the 7Days newspaper reported on Tuesday. The unnamed men are in the twenties and were caught by customs officers at Dubai airport carrying Cocaine and Marijuana.Both men admitted to the charge of possessing illegal narcotics and will be sentenced later this month.

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Australian has been jailed for four years in the Gulf emirate of Dubai

Australian has been jailed for four years in the Gulf emirate of Dubai after being found with 0.55 grams (0.019 ounces) of cannabis and testing positive for the drug, a newspaper reported on Thursday.The 43-year-old, whose name was given only as S.A., was convicted of "possessing and consuming" cannabis. He was arrested at Dubai airport on January 14 after arriving from the Congo, the Khaleej Times daily said.In an unrelated incident, a 38-year-old German was arrested on Monday as he boarded a flight to Britain carrying four kilos of cocaine in his suitcase.The newspaper said the man had admitted he was given the drugs during a three-day trip to Dubai by an African man who told him to hand the package over to an accomplice when he arrived in Britain.The German, identified only as H.M., confessed during interviews that he had made several previous drug smuggling trips to the emirate, the newspaper added.
Dubai, one of the seven member states in the United Arab Emirates, is a popular tourist destination and imposes tough penalties for all drug-related offences.Four years is the usual sentence for possession while trafficking carries the death penalty.

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Grooverider has been freed from Dubai prison as part of the pardons issued during Ramadan.

Grooverider has been freed from Dubai prison as part of the pardons issued during Ramadan.Sources have confirmed that the Radio 1 presenter and drum ‘n’ bass pioneer Dj is currently on board a flight back to London Heathrow.Grooverider was sentenced to four years in prison in February and has been serving his time ever since. It is unclear as to what the future holds for the Dj.Flying in for a nightclub gig in November he was caught at the airport with 2.16g of cannabis in his luggage. He stated in an interview afterwards, “I must have forgotten the spliff, it was a small amount. Back home I would not even get prosecuted.”Four years is the minimum sentence for drug trafficking in the United Arab Emirates and on Monday February 18th 2008, this sentence was handed down to Grooverider (known to his passport as Raymond Bingham). It was also reported in the Dubai press that following a urine test, Bingham had traces of drugs in his system. In 2006 R&B vocalist, Dallas Austin was also arrested in the United Emirates after being found guilty of bringing cocaine into the country. After lobbying Utah senator Orrin Hatch, Quincy Jones and Lionel Richie, (who is hugely popular in Dubai), the singer was released and deported.Grooverider was not as lucky as his American counterpart, as there was a lack of backing from his employers in the UK. The British Embassy had been in touch with the Dj but no other information on their involvement has been released.

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Mohammad Asif Pakistani fast bowler has been arrested at Dubai airport on charges of possessing illegal drugs

Mohammad Asif has been arrested at Dubai airport on charges of possessing illegal drugs, cricket officials said Tuesday.The 25-year-old Asif was seized while returning home from India after featuring in a domestic event which ended on Sunday, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials said."Yes, we can confirm about Asif's arrest. He was stopped at Dubai airport on charges of carrying opium and was supposed to be brought before the magistrate on Tuesday," the official said.PCB human resources director Nadeem Akram said he was in Dubai and has also hired a lawyer to assist Asif."I am in Dubai as part of the PCB's efforts to get Asif cleared. As far as we know a contraband item was in his wallet which he himself did not know and it's in a very small quantity," Akram told AFP by telephone."He was detained at the airport and was interrogated. As far as we know no first incident report has been lodged as yet but police have conducted several tests on Asif including a urine test. A lawyer has also been hired," he said."We have not been officially told about the nature of the substance and quantity. There have been lots of speculations."PCB spokesman Shafqat Nagmi told a news conference in the eastern city of Lahore that Asif said the substance involved was medicine."The lawyer said Asif is in good spirits and he is looking forward to returning home. It is all based on some assumptions -- he said he had some medicine and they don't know about it," Nagmi said."The UAE (United Arab Emirates) has strict procedures -- they want to probe the matter to determine what the substance is. We are hopeful the entire issue is due to some misunderstanding."The arrest is just the latest controversy to hit Pakistan's troubled cricket team over the past two years.Asif was banned for one year after he tested positive for the steroid nandrolone in October 2006. Fellow paceman Shoaib Akhtar was banned for two years on the same charge.The bans were however lifted on appeal two months later. Akhtar meanwhile is appealing a lifetime ban imposed in April for repeated disciplinary problems.Asif was named on Monday as one of five pacemen in a 16-man squad to take part in next week's one-day tri-series in Bangladesh.He has had recent problems with injury, undergoing an operation in Australia in December after an elbow problem recurred during the one-day series against South Africa two months earlier.He missed Pakistan's tour of India late last year before being ruled out of the five-match home series against Zimbabwe.

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The Dubai Court of First Instance rejected the 35-year-old Belgian visitor’s claim for leniency and sentenced him to four years in jail

A visitor, arrested on arrival at the airport for smuggling in a hashish-stuffed cigarette and some marijuana seeds, which he claimed is allowed in his country, has been jailed. The Dubai Court of First Instance rejected the 35-year-old Belgian visitor’s claim for leniency and sentenced him to four years in jail.
The accused will be deported after serving the jail term.
The accused earlier pleaded guilty to smuggling in and possessing drugs and asked Presiding Judge Saeed Salem Bin Sarm for leniency. "I am guilty... I embraced Islam in prison and I would like to ask you for forgiveness and mercy," the accused told the court.

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Dubai is not a safe tourist destination for Westerners

On Saturday morning Diz flew into Dubai airport and was detained at immigration. We kind of knew he would be profiled because he has long hair and looks oriental (they are very racist against Asians in Dubai, and ultra-conservative). He knew the score going in: prescription drugs are illegal, dress conservatively and detox for a week (even trace amounts of either illegal or prescription drugs in the urine are prosecuted as 'drug smuggling'. I'm not joking).
They found melatonin on him, which he bought over the counter in the US. Legally, you can even buy it over the counter in Dubai. They arrested him, anyway. He was strip searched, forced to do a urine test and thrown in jail. In their search they dug into the bottom of his bag and came up with a few fragments of dirt, which they allege is hashish, which is totally outrageous. They also claimed that the melatonin was actually drugs, which was equally, clearly absurd. The sentence if convicted is a blanket four years, with a minimum of six months in prison in one of Dubai's squalid, third world facilities. After detaining him for three days, the melatonin was determined to be just that, and his urine was clear. Now they've asked for a seven day extension to test the dirt, and we trust that he will be on his way home after that. They've been psychologically abusing all of us. One minute we're told they'll let him go as soon as they test the pills, the next we're told they are going through and pressing charges against him. Taking care of his affairs and keeping all of his close friends and relations, spanning four continents, up to date has been a full time job. Nadya, myself and Scott (his friend in Dubai: read his account here) have been working around the clock, ready to wage a campaign for his freedom in the event that he is charged. Scotty and Nadya are both pretty much fucking angels. I spoke to him for the first time today. He rang me and answered my greeting with "Hello from the Dubai tourism board!", so rest assure he is in good spirits and taking all of this very well. What can you do? He wants your emails and letters. He's bored as hell. Send them to me at mildredvon at yahoo dot come and I'll make sure they get to him. He hasn't been charged with anything as yet, so there's not much we can do but wait. In the event they decide to prosecute him we will wage a campaign for his release and we will need all the help we can get for it, but we're keeping our fingers crossed for an acquittal and apology over the next seven days. Obviously, we're preparing for the worst. We have no guarantee they're not going to sentence him, and they've been threatening us with this possibility every time the consulate tells us things are going well. We've begun the task of taking care of his affairs in London in case they hold him more than the ten days. Things could always be a lot worse, and he's being treated well and has so much love and support from all of you guys. The moral of this story is, no one is safe: If you go to Dubai, you are guilty until proven innocent under their unique little brand of sharia-lite laws. DO NOT be fooled by their campaign of hearts and minds and their self appointed branding as some sort of open-minded oasis in the Middle East. Diz is not alone: he is actually in the company of many other hapless victims who were singled out to make an example of. Do not think this could not happen to you. His story needs to get out so this does not happen to anyone else.This is the message we need to get across: Dubai is not a safe tourist destination for Westerners.
To: His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Emir of Dubai
Cat Le-Huy was detained and arrested during a tourist visit to Dubai for carrying melatonin, an over-the-counter jet lag aid. He is still in Dubai jail with no charges and no release date. If charged, he will face a four year sentence in Dubai prison.
We, the undersigned, wish to appeal to you and to the governing bodies of Dubai, to forgive this innocent oversight and grant him swift deportation rather than a prison sentence. He is a gentle and warm friend, husband, brother and son who is actively involved in animal welfare, supports the arts and writes music.

Behind bars, his contribution is lost to the world, and we urge you to pardon this kind and generous man and return him to the country and the people who love him.

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Dubai ,42-year old African woman attempting to smuggle heroin

Police have arrested a 42-year old African woman attempting to smuggle heroin into the country by swallowing wrapped tablets of the deadly drug. She was taken into custody on Thursday night after she arrived in Dubai on an Emirates flight from Uganda.
The woman was carrying 640 grammes of heroin in her stomach when Dubai Custom officials stopped and questioned her. She was later taken to the hospital and was kept under police observation where it was found that she had swallowed the large quantity of drugs. She confessed to accepting $1,500 from an agent to smuggle the drugs into the country, according to police. She has been now been referred to the Public Prosecution department.
Last week, a Pakistani man in his thirties died at a Sharjah hotel after one of the capsules of drugs which he was trying to smuggle into the country burst in his stomach. Sharjah police recovered 40 capsules of drugs from the man. Last year Dubai Customs foiled an attempt by a Pakistani passenger to smuggle 1,000 grammes of heroin into the country. Around 100 capsules of the drug were removed from the passenger’s intestines following his arrest.
Dubai Customs has installed special equipment at the airport to closely scrutinise passengers suspected of carrying drugs and other banned substances.

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Naseeruddin dead at a hotel in Sharjah yesterday morning

Police found a man they believe to be a Pakistani drugs mule dead at a hotel in Sharjah yesterday morning. The dead man, identified as Naseeruddin, was believed to have been in his thirties. It is thought he died due to poisoning from the drugs. Sharjah Police recovered 40 capsules of drugs from his stomach, although it was not clear yesterday exactly what the drugs were.

He had arrived at the Monaco hotel last Saturday, but had not been seen since checking in. Police were called after a cleaner realised the room had been locked for two days and noticed a foul smell coming from it. “The cleaner immediately alerted the hotel management who in turn called police to break open the door at around 1am on Wednesday,” a source at Sharjah Police said.
When officers entered the room the body was already partially decomposed. Staff at the Monaco hotel yesterday refused to comment. Dubai Customs recently foiled a daring attempt by a Pakistani passenger to smuggle 1,000 grammes of heroin into the country. Around 100 capsules of the drug were removed from the passenger’s intestines.

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Indian man identified as J.M

A man given a four-year jail sentence has appealed the verdict, with his lawyer arguing that the drugs found on his client were "tampered with".
The 37-year-old Indian man identified as J.M., was charged with smuggling and possessing 0.15 grams of marijuana and 0.29 grams of hashish for personal use.
His lawyer, Saif Al Mutawaa, said the seized drugs were tampered with.
Records said officers said they seized 0.4 grams of hashish at the airport, meanwhile the criminal laboratory report said it weighed 0.29 grams.
"We suspect that someone tampered with this significant piece of evidence. Drug enforcement officers said they seized 'one piece' of the drug, while the criminal laboratory report says 'pieces'," said Al Mutawaa.

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36-year-old former UN worker Bert Tatham of Vancouver.

WARNING DUBIA "criminal penalties for possession, use, and trafficking of illegal drugs, as well as poppy seeds, are strict and include the death penalty." The advisory also warns that the presence of drugs in the body is also counted as possession can also carry a minimum prison term of four years. Bert Tatham of Vancouver.36-year-old former UN worker has blamed his own negligence for his April arrest at Dubai International Airport, where he was found with two poppy bulbs and a small quantity of hashish.
Despite his efforts to explain the poppy bulbs were old and would only be used for educational purposes and that the hashish - 0.06 grams - was residue from handling it daily in Afghanistan as an anti-narcotics officer, he was sentenced to four years in prison.

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British tourist has been jailed for four years

British tourist has been jailed for four years in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for possession of 0.07 grams (a little over two-thousandths of an ounce) of marijuana, a report said Friday.
The 25-year-old man, identified only as W.H., was caught at Dubai airport with the tiny amount of marijuana in his pocket, in addition to "two hardly noticeable slivers of hashish," the Gulf News daily said.

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Two Afghan nationals

Two Afghan nationals who had arrived at Dubai International Airport on September 19 carrying 69 bags of almonds, aroused the suspicion of the officers from the Drugs Combating Department. A search of their luggage revealed over 40kg of heroin concealed among the almond packets.

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four years in jail

Three passengers who were caught carrying tiny amounts of drugs [less than 0.9 grams], in three separate cases, will each have to spend four years in jail.
The Dubai Court of First Instance found the two Iranians and French male defendants guilty of illegally bringing in small amounts of banned substances for personal use.
The three accused will be deported after serving their terms.

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