Drugs in Dubai

Drugs in Dubai UAE

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Drugs, Narcotics, Medicines, Pharmaceuticals in Dubai


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Watch out when travelling to Dubai. That bread roll you had at Heathrow, or the anti-hayfever pills or cough medicine you just bought at Boots, might get you an unexpected extended stay in Dubai, courtesy of the local constabulary. While the information on this page relates to Dubai, expect it to be the same or similar in other Emirates. According to the UK Foreign Office, 59 Britons were arrested on drug related charges in the UAE in 2007.

Drugs in Dubai - marijuana, hashish, cocaine, heroin, etc

Dubai and the UAE are very strict when it comes to illegal drugs / narcotics and have a zero-tolerance policy. The standard minimum jail sentence for possession is 4 years and some high profile names have been caught at the airport. The number of drug cases has increased sharply in 2007 and so far in 2008. Possibly simply because of the increasing population of Dubai but also because the Dubai customs officials at Dubai airport have more sophisticated equipment that can detect minute quantities of drugs.

Just like anywhere in the world, if you want to make a statement and stand out in a crowd, whether because of appearance or behaviour, you can assume you'll stand out to customs authorities also, which probably increases your chances of being randomly selected for further questioning. We're not saying it's fair, just pointing out what is common, and yes you can be just plain unlucky - as it seems with some of the examples below. If you do get into trouble, it usually goes smoother if you try to negotiate for phone calls etc rather than demand your rights (especially if you don't know what they are).

Blood and urine tests for drugs in Dubai

Possession of drugs is not the only way to finding a cheap hotel room for a few years in Dubai and the UAE. Just having evidence of consumption will also get you incarcerated should you fail a blood or urine test. So yes, in theory, even a pleasant afternoon at The Bulldog in Amsterdam might have unexpected consequences when travelling on to Dubai.

Banned Medicines and prescription drugs including codeine

When travelling to Dubai, the best thing you can do from the perspective of medicines, is to not bring any at all (toothpaste and soap should be ok).

If you do need to bring medicine with you, and it is not on the banned list, then bring the prescription. There have been cases of people stuck in jail waiting for a copy of a prescription to be sent over, and even then it's not guaranteed to be a "get out of jail free" card.

There is a list of banned substances aside from the list of narcotics that are illegal in most countries. Check with Ministry of Health or the UAE Consulate / Embassy for the most up to date information but failing that (after all, how many people actually do contact the relevant government ministries before going on holiday?) keep in mind the following are banned substances and will probably land in you jail for 4 years if you're caught with them in your possession, whether or not you have a prescription:

any opium based substance - for example codeine (which is available over the counter in many countries)
poppy seeds

This list comes from Fair Trials International, who say they got it from the March 2007 dated General Authority for Health Services Guide to the Management of Controlled Drugs in the Private Sector.

Alfentanil
Amphetamine
Buprenorphone
Codeine
Fentanyl
Ketamine
Methadone
Methyphenidate
Morphine
Pentazocine
Pethidine
Remifentanil
Sufentanil

Don't assume this list is comprehensive. If you've got any medicine at all, don't bring it unless you can verify it is on a permitted list, and bring a presciption anyway. Even something as innocuous sounding as Panadol can get you into trouble (there are some over-the-counter versions that contain codeine for example).

Note that none of this is authoritative information, nor should it be interpreted as any sort of statement as to what is legally permitted or not. It is only our interpretation and may be wrong, misleading, and/or out of date. Verify anything independently with an authoritative source.

Pharmacies in Dubai

If you do feel unwell, a pharmacy / chemist, may be a helpful first stop to suggest some medication. Pharmacists in the UAE are usually very helpful and while they are not doctors, chances are they know more than you so a quick visit is usually going to be more sensible than attempting self-diagnosis (or an internet-diagnosis). And pharmacies seem to be more common than grocery shops.

One of the ironies in Dubai is that while some over the counter products in other countries are banned in the UAE, it is possible to buy the contraceptive pill and many antibiotics over the counter in Dubai, which are normally only available on prescription elsewhere.

Examples of Dubai drug cases

Keith Andrew Brown (or Keith Brown), found himself receiving a 4 year jail sentence in February 2008 after Dubai Airport customs found 0.003g of cannabis stuck to the sole of his shoe, an amount almost invisible to the naked eye. Mr Sticky-Feet was arrested in September 2007. According to the 7 Days newspaper, Mr Brown was pardoned later in February 2008.
Grooverider aka Raymond Bingham, a UK DJ, was sentenced in February 2008 to 4 years in jail for possession of 2.16 grams of marijuana (he was arrested in November 2007 at Dubai Airport).
Dallas Austin, a USA music producer, received a 4 year jail sentence in July 2006 for cocaine possession (he was pardoned by Sheikh Mohammed shortly after sentencing).
Herbert Tatham, an adviser with the Poppy Elimination Programme in Kandahar, Afghanistan, and also a consultant with the UN Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC), copped a 4 year sentence in June 2007 for illegal possession and consumption of 0.6 gm of hashish and 2 poppy seeds. He was arrested at Dubai Airport while on transit from Afghanistan. He was apparently taking the poppy seeds to Canada for experiments as part of his job. As for the wakky bakky, his defence lawyer, Saeed Al Ghailani, said "It was natural that he tested positive for hashish which appeared in his urine test ... since he collects and burns between five to ten tonnes a day." According to The Times, he was pardoned by the ruler of Dubai, and deported to Canada.
Cat Le-Huy was arrested at Dubai Airport because customs officers found him in possession of melatonin according to Daily Mail and BBC News reports. Both reports said that melatonin is available over the counter in Dubai.
There are several reports of a Swiss man in jail for possession of 3 poppy seeds that he brought with him to Dubai after eating a poppy seed bun at Heathrow airport.
In March 2005, Tracy Wilkinson was arrested at Dubai Airport after her urine tested positive for codeine. She was detained in prison until the May 2005, when she was acquitted according to BBC reports. According to other reports, she was found guilty and given a 4 year jail sentence for possession of narcotics. A prescription from her GP in the UK was presented in court which helped secure her release. The irony is that she was caught when leaving the UAE, after having been given codeine at a Dubai hospital for her back pain. There were reports that she was behaving oddly at the airport which prompted the authorities to detain her.

I beg your pardon?

If you're not convinced that the Dubai authorities mean business when it comes to drug offences, consider the penalty handed out for the apparently less disturbing crime of killing a cop ...

In February 2008, a 22 year old youth was sentenced to 6 months in jail for running over and killing a Dubai traffic policeman. Salah Bu Farousha, Head of Dubai's Traffic Prosecution, said "Following this tragic case, we would like to forewarn the public that we will tail negligent drivers, especially those who daydream while driving their vehicles ... the sword of justice will be right behind you ..."

Six months? The swords of justice belonging to the Dubai traffic police appear to be less sharp than those wielded down at the Dubai airport customs department. Next time you're in the unenviable position of having to choose between smoking a joint or taking down the arresting officer, it looks like option B will see you breathing fresh air again a bit sooner.

It's a different story in Sharjah though ...

In December 2002, 62-year-old Khalifa Khalfan Al Qaizi was convicted of killing Lieutenant Mohammad Al Tunaiji, a Sharjah police officer, in Al Dhaid (part of the emirate of Sharjah). The shooting occured during a car chase. Mr Al Qaizi was executed by firing squad in Sharjah Central Prison 30/31 October 2006.