British student Mia O’Brien was handed a life sentence in the Middle East after a day-long hearing, in a case that has shed light on Dubai’s harsh drug laws
A young woman is staring down the barrel of a 25-year sentence in a prison known as Dubai’s “Alcatraz,” after allegedly being caught with 50g of Class A drugs.
After being arrested in Dubai last October with cocaine worth around £2,500, Mia O’Brien, a 23-year-old law student, was convicted in July and is now banged up in Dubai’s infamous Al-Awir Central Prison.
According to her devastated mum, Danielle, the trial was “all in Arabic”, in what she has described as a “miscarriage of justice”.
Mia, who pleaded not guilty to the charges, has also been fined £100,000, which she reportedly has not yet paid. It’s understood the Liverpool University student will have her appeal heard within the next few weeks as she faces the prospect of decades behind bars.
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If she had been convicted in the UK, Mia would likely have been handed a sentence of around two years, as per the Sentencing Council’s guidelines. Although it’s hard to say exactly what punishment would have been meted out if the drugs with a street value of around £2,500 in the UK had been discovered here.
However, in the Gulf State, which adopts a zero-tolerance stance towards drugs, Mia now faces decades in appalling conditions.
The Arab nation’s ultra-strict rules are governed by Shariah Law, which their society adheres to. Any quantity of illegal drugs found, even the most minute amounts, can lead to prosecution, the Daily Star reports.
Drugs don’t even need to be discovered on a person, as positive blood tests can be deemed illegal use of a substance, and someone with traces of drugs in their bloodstream is liable to be prosecuted.
Even the smallest amount of illegal drugs found – as little as 0.01g – can lead to prosecution in Dubai.
In 2008, Brit holidaymaker Keith Brown was banged up for four years over a speck of cannabis, tinier than a grain of sugar, found on his shoe.
And in 2013, an Indian man was locked up in Dubai for four years after being nabbed with 102.5 grams of poppy seeds in his luggage. The incident underscored the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) stringent anti-drugs laws, which categorise poppy seeds as an illicit substance, regardless of intent.
As the quantities of drugs increase, so do the consequences. Things get extremely serious if the police suspect you had the intent to supply, with the death sentence even a possibility in some cases.
According to the UK Foreign Office, British visitors are explicitly warned not to break the country’s laws. The office singles out drug offences in particular as a crucial part of its warnings.
On its travel advice for Dubai, the FCDO states: “There is zero tolerance for drug-related offences. The penalties for trafficking, smuggling, using and possessing illegal drugs (including residual amounts) are severe.
“Sentences for drug trafficking can include the death penalty. Possession of even the smallest amount of illegal drugs, including cannabis, can lead to a minimum 3-month prison term or a fine of between 20,000 UAE dirham (£4,000) and 100,000 UAE dirham (£20,000).
“The Emirati authorities count the presence of drugs in the bloodstream as possession. Some ‘herbal highs’ and products containing cannabidiol (CBD) are illegal in the UAE. Possessing, concealing or making transactions with money from drug-related offences is illegal. You could get a prison sentence and a fine.
“UAE airports have excellent technology and security for detecting illegal items, including cannabis. This is also used to scan the baggage of transiting passengers. You can be arrested for carrying drugs, even residual amounts.”
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