British nationals warned by UK officials

Dubai: According to the latest figures, 35 British nationals are in custody within the UAE, confirm United Kingdom government officials.

Some of them face drug and alcohol related offences. The government is working hard through a new campaign to make sure that number doesn’t rise in future.

A press release by the British Embassy in Dubai yesterday said that more than 850 British nationals are currently locked up in prisons across the globe for drug-related offences, often detained for months without trial and facing distressing living conditions. There are currently 2,760 British nationals detained overseas facing various offences.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), in conjunction with the charity Prisoners Abroad, is launching a campaign to highlight the consequences of the use, possession and smuggling of drugs in countries around the world.

“The zero-tolerance approach of some countries often results in strict penalties which can come as a shock to British travellers. Offences that may carry cautions in the UK are often penalised with long prison sentences when overseas. Some drug crimes can lead to even more severe penalties, and in 33 countries or territories some drug offences carry the death sentence,” says the press release.

Some nations keep people on remand for years before their case is heard. Prisoners Abroad is currently supporting 80 Britons between the ages of 18 and 30 held in foreign countries for drugs offences — two thirds of these are still awaiting trial while others are serving sentences from a year to nearly 39 years.

Terry Daniels and Billy Burton are two British nationals that have seen valuable years of their life spent in prisons overseas. Both want to see the number of Britons involved in drugs in other countries reduced and have described their experiences in a video to warn others not to make their mistakes. Mark Simmonds, UK’s Minister for Consular Affairs, said: “People continue to be astonished at some of the penalties handed down for certain crimes overseas. In some countries possessing small amounts of marijuana can lead to decades in prison. In the last year alone consular staff handled over 650 drug-related cases. We want to reduce this number significantly.

Laws, penalties and sentences vary considerably around the world for the use, possession and trafficking of all types of drugs. When it comes to drugs our message is clear – don’t take risks, the consequences are simply not worth it.”

Prison conditions also vary significantly from country to country. Some Britons spend years behind bars confronting tough conditions every day. Sanitary standards and food can be very poor and some find themselves detained in crowded cells with many other inmates. Being far away from home and unable to speak the local language, many also feel isolated.