Hard Time for Soft Drugs

(Dubai, UAE) Two British tourists, identified as PP and HV, were arrested at the Dubai airport after being found carrying small amounts of drugs. Twenty-two-year-old PP had 0.11 grams (0.04oz) of hashish while HV, 27, carried 1.18 grams of hashish. As a result, PP and HV were each sentenced to four years in prison.

British visitors to the UAE appear less well informed of the perils of carrying even microscopic amounts of soft drugs. Travel advice on the Foreign Office website makes quite clear that there are severe penalties for those who flout the UAE's drug laws. Since January last year possession of even trace amounts of illegal drugs has resulted in four-year jail terms for foreigners in transit through Dubai.

"The presence of drugs in the body is counted as possession," the Foreign Office cautions. In other words, travelers can be jailed even if they have no drugs on them: a trace in the blood-stream of a drug consumed before entering the UAE is enough to secure a jail term.

Consequently, drug users should approach Dubai with caution. A mere speck negligently left on clothes or luggage could result in a four-year stretch in an Arab prison.