[roberto]

Briton jailed for four years in Dubai after customs find cannabis weighing less than a grain of sugar under his shoe
By BETH HALE - More by this author »

Last updated at 10:23am on 8th February 2008




Jailed: Keith Brown had a speck of cannabis on his shoe
A father-of-three who was found with a microscopic speck of cannabis stuck to the bottom of one of his shoes has been sentenced to four years in a Dubai prison.

Keith Brown, a council youth development officer, was travelling through the United Arab Emirates on his way back to England when he was stopped as he walked through Dubai's main airport.

A search by customs officials uncovered a speck of cannabis weighing just 0.003g - so small it would be invisible to the naked eye and weighing less than a grain of sugar - on the tread of one of his shoes.

Dubai International Airport is a major hub for the Middle East and thousands of Britons pass through it every year to holiday in the glamorous beach and shopping haven.

But many of those tourists and business travellers are likely to be unaware of the strict zero-tolerance drugs policy in the UAE.

One man has even been jailed for possession of three poppy seeds left over from a bread roll he ate at Heathrow Airport. Painkiller codeine is also banned.

If suspicious of a traveller, customs officials can use high-tech equipment to uncover even the slightest trace of drugs.

Mr Brown was detained and arrested in September last year and has been held in a cell with three other men in the city prison ever since.

This week the youth worker, who has two young children and a partner at home in Smethwick, West Midlands, was sentenced to four years in prison.

A 25-year-old Briton who was found with a similar speck in one pocket as he arrived on holiday has been awaiting sentence since November.


Meanwhile a Big Brother TV executive has so far been held without charge for five days after being arrested for possessing the health supplement melatonin.

The authorities claim to have discovered 0.01g of hashish in his luggage.

Last night Mr Brown's brother Lee said his case "defied belief".

"For that sort of amount common sense should prevail, from where it was found it was obviously something that had been crushed on the floor - it could have come from anywhere."

Rastafarian Mr Brown had been returning from a short trip to Ethiopia, where one of his children lives and where he owns property.

He was travelling with his partner Imani, who was also stopped and detained for more than a week.

Normally he flew direct to and from the UK, but decided to stop off in Dubai.

"He was incensed when he called me," said driving instructor Lee, 57. "It would be funny if the circumstances weren't so unpleasant.

"Bugs are crawling out of his mattress when he's sleeping. His family are frantic with worry and can't call him."

Last night campaign group Fair Trials International advised visitors to Dubai and Abu Dhabi to "take extreme caution".

Chief Executive Catherine Wolthuizen said: "We have seen a steep increase in such cases over the last 18 months.

"Customs authorities are using highly sensitive new equipment to conduct extremely thorough searches on travellers and if they find any amount - no matter how minute - it will be enough to attract a mandatory four-year prison sentence."

Mrs Wolthuizen added: "We even have reports of the imprisonment of a Swiss man for 'possession' of three poppy seeds on his clothing after he ate a bread roll at Heathrow.



Held: A campaign is underway to secure the release of Cat Le-Huy from a Dubai jail

"What many travellers may not realise is that they can be deemed to be in possession of such banned substances if they can be detected in their urine or bloodstream, or even in tiny, trace amounts on their person."

Only two months after Mr Brown was stopped economics graduate Robert Dalton was detained in almost identical circumstances.

Mr Dalton, from Gravesend, on Kent was with two friends when he was stopped and asked to empty his pockets.

Officials found 0.03g of cannabis in a small amount of fluff. He is currently on trial and if convicted, is likely receive a four-year prison sentence.

Last night his brother Peter, 26, told how it took 24 hours to find out why he had been stopped.

"As we understand, the amount of cannabis was barely visible to the human eye and was at the bottom of the pocket of an old pair of jeans.

"He's not a drug user, but he goes clubbing and the speck was so small."

Last week Cat Le-Huy, a London-based German national, was arrested on arrival at the airport.

Mr Le-Huy, 31, head of technology with Big Brother production company Endemol, was arrested on suspicion of possessing illegal drugs after customs officers found melatonin, a health supplement used for jet lag available over the counter both in Dubai and in the US.

Authorities also claim they discovered fragments in one of his bags which they believe to be hashish. Fair Trials International said the amount was 0.01g.

[Salahadeen]

These stories are always biased, telling half-truths, etc. At least that has been my experience.

[Jamroll]

roberto, I'm sure it's just an oversight on your part, but please post the source when you post an article. As well as being useful to other posters, we have copyright rules about publishing material without referencing a source.

[roberto]

Originally Posted by Salahadeen

These stories are always biased, telling half-truths, etc. At least that has been my experience.

Here are a few a few more half-truths,

Some recent cases handled by Fair Trials International:

Keith Andrew Brown
43 years old from Middlesex. Arrested on 17 September 2007 at Dubai airport, enroute to London from Ethiopia. He and his wife were stopped and searched at the airport and nothing was found. Then the stub of a roll-up cigarette was seen on the sole of his shoe. He was charged with possession of 0.003g of cannabis and was this month sentenced to 4 years’ imprisonment. He is waiting for an opportunity to seek clemency.

Robert Dalton, 25 from Kent
Robert travelled to Dubai on 13 November 2007 for a holiday after finishing his economics degree. He was stopped and searched at the airport and arrested after Customs officers alleged they found 0.03g of cannabis in his pockets. He is currently on trial and if convicted, will mostly likely receive a 4 year prison sentence.

20-year old man from West Yorkshire
Arrested at Dubai airport on 16 January 2008 while travelling back to the UK from Pakistan. Currently standing trial in Dubai after Customs officers alleged they found 0.02g cannabis in his pocket.

London man, in his 40s
Arrested on 7 May 2007 at Dubai airport on his honeymoon. Customs officials found 2g of cannabis in the pocket of a pair of shorts in his suitcase. He had forgotten it was there. He was sentenced to 4 years’ imprisonment but was granted amnesty in Ramadan and released in October 2007.

33 year-old London man
Was arrested at Dubai airport on 14 May 2007 after travelling to UAE on business. Customs officials found 2g of cannabis in his pocket. He had forgotten it was there. He was sentenced to 4 years’ imprisonment, but granted clemency and released in October 2007.

Tracy Wilkinson, 45 of West Sussex
Arrested at Dubai airport in 2005 for possession of codeine, a common pain relief medication, which she had been using to ease chronic back pain. She was held in custody for 8 weeks before officials accepted proof from her doctor of its use for prescribed medical purposes only.

Other reported cases

A Swiss national currently serving 4 years after 3 poppy seeds were found on his clothes by customs officials at Dubai airport. He had bought and eaten a bread roll at Heathrow before flying to UAE.

19 French nationals have been arrested in the past 18 months for possession of banned substances.

In June 2007, a 24 year-old Italian man was sentenced to 4 years’ imprisonment after 0.01g of cannabis was found in his jacket pocket.

Fair Trials International: News : Charity issues urgent warning to all travellers to UAE after Briton is imprisoned for 4 years

[Jamroll]

These actions do seem quite harsh, but maybe we think that because we are from societies where there is quite a lax attitude towards drug use.

In some other countries, like Dubai I guess, they take a very strict zero-tolerance policy towards not only drug dealing but drug use aswell.

[ChotooMotoo]

What did he do, pee on something? That's why the Briton in Latvia was jailed, for peeing on things. What's with you guys and peeing on things in other peoples countries?

[roberto]

Originally Posted by Jamroll

These actions do seem quite harsh, but maybe we think that because we are from societies where there is quite a lax attitude towards drug use.

In some other countries, like Dubai I guess, they take a very strict zero-tolerance policy towards not only drug dealing but drug use aswell.

It not just a case of being OTT, it’s also the question of the degree of reasonable guilt.

[Jamroll]

Originally Posted by roberto

It not just a case of being OTT, it’s also the question of the degree of reasonable guilt.

Well, with the exception of the guy eating the poppy seed sandwich, they were found with drugs on their person.

Like I said, they take their zero-tolerance policy on drug use very seriously there. So if they are found with a substance which is illegal in that country, then I guess they have go through the normal legal process in that country - such as awaiting trial, as most of the examples you cited, seem to be doing.

[Variable]

I didn't read it all... but how on Earth did they detect a microscopic piece of pot on the sole of this guy's shoe?

I'm finding it tough to believe, but if it is true, that's pretty ridiculous, and could happen to any of us.

[roberto]

[quote=Jamroll;88934]

Well, with the exception of the guy eating the poppy seed sandwich, they were found with drugs on their person.

One guy with a speck of cannabis on his shoe, come on it's utterly ridiculous

I note in your first post that you stated, not that it was harsh, but that it seems harsh; why do you try to defend the indefensible

[vegetables]

Thats pretty insane... .0003 grams of weed gets you 4 years but alcohol, which I believe is worse, is legal. I just think alcoholism hurts more people than weed . in the end, their country, their rules