A Dubai court has sentenced 23-year-old British law student Mia O’Brien to 25 years in prison after she was found with 50 grams of cocaine in an apartment in the city.
According to reports in the Mirror and other UK outlets, O’Brien was arrested last October and convicted on July 25 following a trial that lasted only one day. Alongside the prison sentence, she was fined £100,000 (about $126,000).
She has been sent to Dubai’s Central Prison, where she reportedly shares a cell with six other inmates. “Mia feels she has ruined her life,” her mother told the Daily Mail. “I speak to her, but she can’t say much over the phone. She just made a stupid mistake after traveling to visit friends in Dubai.”
Her mother said O’Brien denied charges of intent to supply cocaine. “The trial was all in Arabic, and Mia was told of the sentence later by her lawyer. She is absolutely devastated by what has happened. Mia is being really strong, but I know she is going through a living hell.,” she said.
An appeal hearing is expected in the coming weeks.
The New York Post, which also covered the case, cited a Human Rights Watch report from last year describing rape as a “daily occurrence” in the detention facility where O’Brien is being held. “It is a place where guards and inmates engage in violent assaults,” the report said.
The Mirror noted that the UK Foreign Office warns travelers that Dubai has “zero tolerance for drug-related offenses. Penalties for trafficking, smuggling, possession and use of illegal drugs (including trace amounts) are severe.”
The advisory also said that drug trafficking can carry the death penalty.
Possession of even the smallest amount of an illegal substance, including cannabis, can result in a minimum of three months in jail or a fine ranging from 200,000 UAE dirhams (£4,000) to 100,000 dirhams (£20,000).
Authorities in the UAE consider drugs in the bloodstream as possession.
Certain herbal remedies and CBD products are banned.
Possessing, concealing, or dealing in money derived from drug-related crime is also a criminal offense, punishable by prison and fines.
Airports in the UAE are equipped with advanced security systems to detect banned substances, including cannabis, and passengers in transit can also be arrested for trace amounts.
According to the advisory:
-Drug trafficking can carry the death penalty.
-Possession of even the smallest amount of an illegal substance, including cannabis, can result in a minimum of three months in jail or a fine ranging from 200,000 UAE dirhams (£4,000) to 100,000 dirhams (£20,000).
-Authorities in the UAE consider drugs in the bloodstream as possession.
-Certain herbal remedies and CBD products are banned.
-Possessing, concealing, or dealing in money derived from drug-related crime is also a criminal offense, punishable by prison and fines.
Airports in the UAE are equipped with advanced security systems to detect banned substances, including cannabis, and passengers in transit can also be arrested for trace amounts.