DUBAI TOURISTS WARNED OVER TOUGH DRUG STANCE

Poppy seeds in food, common over-the-counter medications and traces
of banned substances are enough to warrant four-year prison sentences
in the United Arab Emirates, travellers were warned today.

Visitors to Dubai and Abu Dhabi are now being advised to "take
extreme caution" and "avoid arrest for 'possession' of a controlled substance".

The advice, issued by the legal charity Fair Trials International,
follows a recent spate of arrests and imprisonment.

The charity, which assists those facing trial abroad, has urged
travellers to ensure they are completely free of any substances
prohibited by the country they are visiting.

Earlier this week, a 43-year-old from Middlesex was imprisoned for
four years after 0.003g cannabis was found in the tread of his shoe
by customs officials in Dubai.

Keith Andrew Brown was stopped in transit from Ethiopia to London
last September.

The amount of the drug found on his shoe would not be visible to the
naked eye and weighs less than a single grain of sugar.

Fair Trials International 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."

And the list of banned substances in the UAE includes many products
which are available over-the-counter and off-the-shelf in the UK.

These include medications such as codeine, a common ingredient in
pain relief and cold-and-flu medication, and the common baking
ingredient, poppy seeds.

Ms Wolthuizen added: "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.

"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."

The UAE is becoming one of the world's most popular tourist and
transit destinations - partly due to extensive marketing of its
beaches and shops.

Charities now say travellers must be alerted to the risks they face
if they are not completely clean of any banned substance or do not
have a prescription for their medication.

Only last month a German citizen was detained for an alleged drugs
offence when entering Dubai.

Cat Le-Huy, 31, was found carrying melatonin pills to help with
jetlag and sleeping problems.

More than 2,000 people have now signed a petition asking for the
British-based technical expert to be released.

Other recent cases include that of a 33-year-old Londoner who was
arrested at Dubai airport last May after travelling to the UAE on business.

Customs officials found 2g of cannabis in his pocket which he had
forgotten about.

He was sentenced to four years' imprisonment, but granted clemency
and released in October 2007.

Customs officers in Dubai also alleged they found 0.03g of cannabis
on Robert Dalton, 25, from Kent when he travelled to Dubai last year.

He was stopped and searched at the airport and arrested.

He is currently on trial and if convicted, will mostly likely receive
a four-year prison sentence.

Tracy Wilkinson, 45 of West Sussex, was arrested at Dubai airport in
2005 for possession of codeine 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.

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

Fair Trials International are publishing a comprehensive list of
banned pharmaceuticals on their website. This can be found at
www.fairtrials.net