Just say NO... to commerce with and travel to Dubai.

Rusty , Milwaukee, WI

I happen to know the young 22 year old lad (pp) referred to in your report. He is from a small village, with a good job and has never been in trouble before. The drug did not belong to him ans was in left in his trouser pocket by a friend who he had lent the trousers too.

I am a Police Officer in the UK and at the very most here, he would get a caution or even a formal warning.

4 years in jail is just too excessive they should have deported him at the airport and refused him any further entry.

Phil, birmingham, UK

It never ceases to amaze me what humans will so quickly do to other humans. Its unconcienable that Dubai would do this. Such miniscle thumbtip quantities are of no harm to the country, yet four years in its prison will ruin these two and their families. Where does Dubai get off thinking these people's lives are totally submissive to their narcissistic control freak neurosis? This is why America and other countries should refuse to allow Dubai lucrative business deals in their own countries since the sheiks of Dubai are just plain wrong.
Anyone can undertand a country confiscating drugs coming across its border and prosecuting those with criminal intent to sell. But to micro-check tourists to find any little scrapings is more than nuts. The only thing Dubai worships is money so that is where we should take a stand. If they want to do business with us, they can treat us like human beings.
I hope Britain makes a stand and makes Dubai pay. Stop selling out our own people!!

Brian Stewart, los angeles, USA

Wow what nonsense. If you did that in the UK be prepared to pay more taxes to deal with the prison numbers. Bad idea when its alcohol and tobacco killing our folk not 1 gram of hash..no one ever died from that...no real evidence that cannabis ever killed anyone..alcohol causes 4000 deaths a year in this country and contributes to 4percent of Global disease. MJ may or may not cause young folk (who shouldnt be taking anything anyway at their age) some mental health issues. Yeah lets jail all cannabis users..again what nonsense.

Sally, Newbiggin, Northumberland. UK

'receiving consular assistance' that is the biggest joke, the Consul in Dubai have no interest in helping these guys, it is purely an organisation to further commercial intrests for the UK. Other countries actively lobby on behalf of their citizens in cases such as these, particularly when minor indiscretions result in draconian sentences (interesting to note that a man was sentenced to TWO years in prison by the Dubai Courts for molesting a child), the British seem happy to hide behind their no interference policy. I am sure this rule has been bent in the past for something that may interfere with our commercial interests. The UAE has a major heroin problem, however it's citizens are often sent to a rehabilitation centre for a few weeks. I know the UAE governement want to make an example of these people, but at aome point somebody has to stand up and say it's immoral.

Ben, London,

The impression I have of the British Embassy in the United Arab Emirates is that their function is more of a trade mission than protector of British visitors.
A four year prison term in any UAE jail (and perhaps Dubai is a whole lot better than the hell holes that pass for correctional facilities in Abu Dhabi) is guaranteed to ruin any young life.
The image of Dubai (mostly put about by the British gofers working for the Sheikhs) as a sun filled playgound full of English chavs is well of the mark. I was filled with total shock by the plight of the Asian workers and the way animals are treated over there (Dubai zoo has to be the saddest place on earth!)
Let's hope the Sheikh will pardon our young people as he usually does the celebs.

Beatrice Webster, London, UK

Sir
The pro-Dubai justice comments made so far display only ignorance of a country that is, under all the new buildings and footballers' wives glitz, essentially feudal with an undeveloped system of justice . When an Indian celebrity and a US record producer (Dallas Austin, on his way to Naomi Campbell's birthday party, carrying cocaine) are swiftly pardoned, the prisons there are filled with "little people" who mostly haven't had a fair trial.
The oddest comment by Theodoulou is the reference to UAE/Dubai justice being based partly on British civil law. This is a view being peddled by those who have put in place an extradition treaty between us and the UAE (whereby British citizens can be extradited to UAE but their citizens cannot be extradited to UK - another sell out by our government of our civil liberties -but that's another, much bigger, story!!!)

Sid Hayat, London, UK

Sir,
Imagine our reactions if that drug was alcohol? The global village is an interesting place.

SC, London, United Kingdom

Maybe its no bad thing, perhaps the UK should take the same line with drugs.
If you visit any foreigh country you are a guest in that country and should comply with their norms and laws. You cannot expect everyone to accept our lax attitudes

Alan, Boston,

In 2006, the American hip-hop producer Dallas Austin found himself in a similar position whilst carrying 1.26 grammes of cocaine and five-and-a-half capsules containing banned substance into Dubai airport (http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/06/07/05/10051630.html).

Another famous music maker, Indian DJ Aqeel, was also caught with 0.06 gm of Ecstasy when arriving at Dubai airport in June 2007. (http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/07/06/15/10132573.html)

The difference here (between a brit tourist and an international superstar) is that the two high profile international music stars both got let off - our American friend even getting his pardon from the RULER OF DUBAI himself!

Draw your own conclusion.

Lee, Dubai,

Andrew,,the Embassy is only doing what it's there for, looking after it's citizens...As far as protecting interests are concerned the Embassy will simply back the laws of Dubai...if people flaunt the rules and they get caught they they get what's coming to them..Little sympathy from over here mate. Just wish occasionally that the drug barons were given enough drugs in a package and then flown to Saudi or Malaysia....!!!!

kirk, Rotherham, UK

Waaaaah!

Gerald Zigler, Harrogate, Norht Yorkshire

Perhaps travel agents should be highlighting the dangers of going to Dubai or Abu Dhabi as all they advertise it as is a nice sunny holiday, when in fact if you are not very very careful you too will end up i jail for 4 years. I saw last year that a lady from UK was put in jail because she had a painkiller with Codeine in it which is legal in uk and yet illegal in Dubai (Emirates) but no one told her. More recently a United Nations employee was jailed for having a microscopic amounf of cannabis in his clothes (which he said was because of his job in burning drugs in Afghanistan .

So be very very careful in you go to Dubai or anywhere in Emirates.

Robert, Middlesborough, UK

Possession of controlled drugs is a criminal offence in the UK.
If you choose to flout the law , you shouldn't be surprised if you are prosecuted. Going to a country as a visitor and ignoring that country's laws will, if you are caught, have consequences. Why are Embassy staff involved here ? The offenders have taken a risk and been unlucky. They alone are responsible for the consequences.

Edward Johns, Lannion, France

"Only a tiny bit" So you are only a tiny bit guilty.
It's time the U.S.A. (I can't speak for the Brits) which has a
horrendous drug problem to follow Dubai's example.
There is no problem with druggies.
Good for Dubai.

Jerry Scroggin, Phoenix, Arizona/USA

So the Embassy's going to bat for them. When it comes to a choice between protecting lucrative British contracts and springing a couple of non-entity Brits from a Dubai jail, which do you think will get priority?

Andrew Milner, Yokohama , Kanagawa