Prisoners Abroad is concerned by a mounting increase in the number of British people being arrested for drugs-related offences overseas, particularly in countries where penalties can be very harsh, and travellers may not be fully aware of the risks.

Commenting on the increase, Christopher Stacey, Chief Executive, said:

“We’ve seen arrests for drugs offences increase by 60% last year, with 155 new cases. These accounted for 43% of all new cases, compared to 33% the previous year and 22% in the year before. The number of new drugs cases was more than four times the next highest number of new cases for a specific offence (visa overstays).

Arrests for drugs-related offences currently make up 34% of the total number of British people we are supporting. They are most common in Europe and Asia, where sentences are particularly harsh; drug smuggling in Indonesia can mean a life sentence or even the death penalty, and 8 out of the 12 people we are currently supporting in prison there have been arrested for drugs offences.

However, in the last year, we have seen a particular rise in arrests in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which is now the country with the fourth highest number of people we are supporting. Again, penalties are harsh here; the longest sentence someone we are supporting has received in the UAE is over 25 years, while the average sentence length of those we are supporting there is 15 years. There have been several recent high-profile arrests of British citizens, which we commented on here. Last year, 26 new cases in the UAE came to our attention – more than double the previous year – of which 21 were drug-related.

This ties in with the increasing promotion of the UAE as a luxury holiday destination, particularly targeted towards young people on social media. We have also had reports of young people being recruited through Snapchat to traffic drugs to the UAE. 30 of the 51 people we are currently supporting in the UAE are aged 34 and under.

A worrying trend is that countries where drugs-related arrests are increasing are also those countries where the UK does not have active prisoner transfer arrangements, meaning there is little chance in successfully applying for a transfer to complete a sentence in the UK near to family.”

As per the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s travel advice page for the UAE, there is zero tolerance for drugs-related offences and possession of even the smallest quantities of illegal drugs can lead to a minimum three-month prison term or a fine of between 20,000 UAE dirham (£4,322) and 100,000 UAE dirham  (£21,610). The Emirati authorities count the presence of drugs in the blood stream as possession. Possessing, concealing or making transactions with money from drugs-related offences is illegal. You could get a prison sentence and a fine. Additionally, some skincare products and e-cigarette refills may contain ingredients that are illegal in the UAE such as CBD oil, and if you are found in possession of such products, they will be confiscated and you could face criminal charges.

Prisoners Abroad would urge anyone planning a trip abroad anywhere in the world to research local laws and customs thoroughly before travel, but especially when visiting destinations where regimes can be particularly strict. Conditions can vary enormously from prison to prison, but our support is often limited in these places as contact with the outside world is restricted.

If you need to get in touch with us about an overseas arrest, please do so here. If you would like to learn more about the help we can provide for British people imprisoned overseas, please click here.

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More info:

FCDO Travel Aware campaign

FCDO foreign travel advice

FCDO arrested or detained abroad advice

‘Travel to the UAE’ blog

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