Carl Weathers Posted August 17, 2008 Share Posted August 17, 2008 Has anyone been before? I've heard it's a bit of a nightmare and that people have been locked up for having the tiniest traces of drugs on them! I wouldn't normally have anything to worry about but check this: He is the latest in a long list of Western tourists whose legal indiscretions, whether born of ignorance or not, have led to severe punishment. Earlier this month, Keith Brown, a 43-year-old youth worker from the West Midlands, was jailed for four years after customs officials who stopped him on his way through Dubai airport found a speck of cannabis weighing 0.003g ? invisible to the naked eye and lighter than a grain of sugar ? on the bottom of his shoe. A 25-year-old Briton who was found with a similarly sized speck as he arrived on holiday has been awaiting sentence since November. Robert Dalton, from Gravesend in Kent, is also likely to receive four years in jail after traces of the illegal drug were found in a small ball of fluff in his pocket. http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/music/news/bbc-radio-1-dj-jailed-for-four-years-in-dubai-on-cannabis-charge-13385710.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7234786.stm Is it okay to take your ipod, mobile phone through customs there? I know they don't like people bringing in dvd's etc. I'm just getting a connecting flight btw - so will only be there for 3 hrs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor FinnBarr Posted August 17, 2008 Share Posted August 17, 2008 Has anyone been before? I've heard it's a bit of a nightmare and that people have been locked up for having the tiniest traces of drugs on them! I wouldn't normally have anything to worry about but check this: He is the latest in a long list of Western tourists whose legal indiscretions, whether born of ignorance or not, have led to severe punishment. Earlier this month, Keith Brown, a 43-year-old youth worker from the West Midlands, was jailed for four years after customs officials who stopped him on his way through Dubai airport found a speck of cannabis weighing 0.003g ? invisible to the naked eye and lighter than a grain of sugar ? on the bottom of his shoe. A 25-year-old Briton who was found with a similarly sized speck as he arrived on holiday has been awaiting sentence since November. Robert Dalton, from Gravesend in Kent, is also likely to receive four years in jail after traces of the illegal drug were found in a small ball of fluff in his pocket. http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/music/news/bbc-radio-1-dj-jailed-for-four-years-in-dubai-on-cannabis-charge-13385710.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7234786.stm Is it okay to take your ipod, mobile phone through customs there? I know they don't like people bringing in dvd's etc. I'm just getting a connecting flight btw - so will only be there for 3 hrs. You take/carry drugs, then hell mend you but "stuck on his shoe-sole"!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl Weathers Posted August 17, 2008 Author Share Posted August 17, 2008 You take/carry drugs, then hell mend you but "stuck on his shoe-sole"!!!!!! It looks like if they want to make you do porridge, they'll find a way. Scary. Has anyone passed through? I'm just grabbing a connecting flight to KL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tynie_John Posted August 17, 2008 Share Posted August 17, 2008 In one of the most extreme cases, it reported a man being held after poppy seeds from a bread roll were found on his clothes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl Weathers Posted August 17, 2008 Author Share Posted August 17, 2008 In one of the most extreme cases, it reported a man being held after poppy seeds from a bread roll were found on his clothes. I probably would have avoided Dubai if I knew all of this in advance. Having said that, I'm sure it'll be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor FinnBarr Posted August 17, 2008 Share Posted August 17, 2008 I probably would have avoided Dubai if I knew all of this in advance. Having said that, I'm sure it'll be fine. Go naked and brush off all crumbs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paws (FTH) Posted August 17, 2008 Share Posted August 17, 2008 Go naked and brush off all crumbs! That may result in being arrested for an entirely different offence though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor FinnBarr Posted August 17, 2008 Share Posted August 17, 2008 That may result in being arrested for an entirely different offence though Wear a burrka, you'll be fine! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl Weathers Posted August 17, 2008 Author Share Posted August 17, 2008 Go naked and brush off all crumbs! If I don't post for 4 years, you know what's happened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CostaJambo Posted August 17, 2008 Share Posted August 17, 2008 Has anyone been before? I've heard it's a bit of a nightmare and that people have been locked up for having the tiniest traces of drugs on them! I wouldn't normally have anything to worry about but check this: He is the latest in a long list of Western tourists whose legal indiscretions, whether born of ignorance or not, have led to severe punishment. Earlier this month, Keith Brown, a 43-year-old youth worker from the West Midlands, was jailed for four years after customs officials who stopped him on his way through Dubai airport found a speck of cannabis weighing 0.003g ? invisible to the naked eye and lighter than a grain of sugar ? on the bottom of his shoe. A 25-year-old Briton who was found with a similarly sized speck as he arrived on holiday has been awaiting sentence since November. Robert Dalton, from Gravesend in Kent, is also likely to receive four years in jail after traces of the illegal drug were found in a small ball of fluff in his pocket. http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/music/news/bbc-radio-1-dj-jailed-for-four-years-in-dubai-on-cannabis-charge-13385710.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7234786.stm Is it okay to take your ipod, mobile phone through customs there? I know they don't like people bringing in dvd's etc. I'm just getting a connecting flight btw - so will only be there for 3 hrs. I have lived in the Middle East for about 10 of the last 15 years. If you take drugs, make sure you are clean before passing through, they have new equipment which can detect tiny traces on clothing and there is a radio 1 DJ who was done recently for having a single dooby on him. WRT ipods and mobiles, if they pull you out for another reason and you behave like a tw@ then they may decide to go through your phone, ipod etc. and do for importing pornography if you have anything on these items which could be construed as porn, but if I should stress, apart from the new drug finding equipment they will not go looking for you unless you are being a total dick. trust this helps!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl Weathers Posted August 17, 2008 Author Share Posted August 17, 2008 I have lived in the Middle East for about 10 of the last 15 years. If you take drugs, make sure you are clean before passing through, they have new equipment which can detect tiny traces on clothing and there is a radio 1 DJ who was done recently for having a single dooby on him. WRT ipods and mobiles, if they pull you out for another reason and you behave like a tw@ then they may decide to go through your phone, ipod etc. and do for importing pornography if you have anything on these items which could be construed as porn, but if I should stress, apart from the new drug finding equipment they will not go looking for you unless you are being a total dick. trust this helps!! I'm drug free but it's still pretty scary. How does this equipment work anyway? I never knew equipment that could trace cannabis the size of a grain of sand existed. I'll have my ipod, phone and a couple of books on me - maybe a copy of Playboy or Razzle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CostaJambo Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 I'm drug free but it's still pretty scary. How does this equipment work anyway? I never knew equipment that could trace cannabis the size of a grain of sand existed. I'll have my ipod, phone and a couple of books on me - maybe a copy of Playboy or Razzle. Dunno how the drug equipment works, but believe me it does! I DEFINITELY wouldn't go through dubai airport with a jazz mag on me, not worth the hassle, you'll be able to get them in malaysia if you don't have internet access Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Doctor Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 I passed through Dubai airport a couple of years ago, absolutely no hassle. Don't bother smiling at anyone though, the staff were totally miserable. Very good duty free, cheap cheap fags! It's very Westernised, it's like any other international airport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenbo Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 I pass through Dubai on a very regular basis. Other than ***** that walk right in front you you when you are trying to get somewhere. It's one of the better aiports that I use, some **** hot duty free! Mind you, watch out for loads of people sleeping in random places..............its like walking down fester road a bit! hahaha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
269miles Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 Has anyone been before? I've heard it's a bit of a nightmare and that people have been locked up for having the tiniest traces of drugs on them! I wouldn't normally have anything to worry about but check this: He is the latest in a long list of Western tourists whose legal indiscretions, whether born of ignorance or not, have led to severe punishment. Earlier this month, Keith Brown, a 43-year-old youth worker from the West Midlands, was jailed for four years after customs officials who stopped him on his way through Dubai airport found a speck of cannabis weighing 0.003g ? invisible to the naked eye and lighter than a grain of sugar ? on the bottom of his shoe. A 25-year-old Briton who was found with a similarly sized speck as he arrived on holiday has been awaiting sentence since November. Robert Dalton, from Gravesend in Kent, is also likely to receive four years in jail after traces of the illegal drug were found in a small ball of fluff in his pocket. http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/music/news/bbc-radio-1-dj-jailed-for-four-years-in-dubai-on-cannabis-charge-13385710.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7234786.stm Is it okay to take your ipod, mobile phone through customs there? I know they don't like people bringing in dvd's etc. I'm just getting a connecting flight btw - so will only be there for 3 hrs. I found this recent review : it's pretty grim reading. http://www.reviewcentre.com/review211481.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenbo Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 I found this recent review : it's pretty grim reading. http://www.reviewcentre.com/review211481.html Hmmm not sure I aggree with those comments, as I say I use it very frequently. And although I mainly use the BA Lounge I have never encountered problems anywhere else. There is a not bad Irish pub I like to pop into and I have never had a problem getting a seat in the Food Court - it is true about people sleeping anywhere though! Still if you are only there for a few hours its not too bad! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad Sexington Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 I got steaming at Dubia airport on a 7 hour stopover 6 years ago. I sat in the Irish pub with some random Aussie bloke and we both settled down to a good wee bevvie session. The flight on to Melbourne and the inevitable slow waking hangover weren't too clever though. I didn't get any hassle in Dubia airport at all. It's a really beautiful airport, full of gold and palm trees. It can however deliver a bit of a culture clash for westerners. I was waiting to go through the metal detector and there was a huge crowd, including a large group of women in full burka's. Instead of it being an orderly queue like you'd get here, it was more like the start of the Harrods sale. The men were just elbowing the women out the way to get through first. If I had stayed true to my usual gentlemanly code of conduct I would have been there for hours, thus wasting precious drinking time. So I rolled up my sleeves and hacked my way through to the front like William Wallace. I also nearly caused an international incident after about 5 pints by blundering into what I thought was a gents toilet, bursting on a pish, with my zip already down, only to discover it was actually a prayer room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cosanostra Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 Buy new trainers and wear them to fly in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad Sexington Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 I found this recent review : it's pretty grim reading. http://www.reviewcentre.com/review211481.html It's obviously gone a bit Pete Tong with all the renovations since I was there. It was fine 6 years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenbo Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 I got steaming at Dubia airport on a 7 hour stopover 6 years ago. I sat in the Irish pub with some random Aussie bloke and we both settled down to a good wee bevvie session. The flight on to Melbourne and the inevitable slow waking hangover weren't too clever though. I didn't get any hassle in Dubia airport at all. It's a really beautiful airport, full of gold and palm trees. It can however deliver a bit of a culture clash for westerners. I was waiting to go through the metal detector and there was a huge crowd, including a large group of women in full burka's. Instead of it being an orderly queue like you'd get here, it was more like the start of the Harrods sale. The men were just elbowing the women out the way to get through first. If I had stayed true to my usual gentlemanly code of conduct I would have been there for hours, thus wasting precious drinking time. So I rolled up my sleeves and hacked my way through to the front like William Wallace. I also nearly caused an international incident after about 5 pints by blundering into what I thought was a gents toilet, bursting on a pish, with my zip already down, only to discover it was actually a prayer room. hahahaa quality mate! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl Weathers Posted August 18, 2008 Author Share Posted August 18, 2008 Buy new trainers and wear them to fly in. Think I'm going to wear Jesus sandals - no socks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl Weathers Posted August 18, 2008 Author Share Posted August 18, 2008 So I rolled up my sleeves and hacked my way through to the front like William Wallace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Therapist Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 Has anyone been before? I've heard it's a bit of a nightmare and that people have been locked up for having the tiniest traces of drugs on them! I've been through there loads of times. It's a decent enough airport but there can be sizeable queues for security etc at transit. The Irish bar - much as I hate them - is a decent enough place to get melted. Don't believe the hype about drugs. There's no machine yet invented that can detect "minute quantities of drugs". Dubai airport uses passenger profiling as their main weapon against smugglers. Like other countries in the region, if you're black, Asian or from the Indian sub-continent, you are much more likely to attract their attention. For example, in the DJ incident the guy was black and he had almost a couple of grams of cannabis on him IIRC. It wasn't detected by their alleged super machine, but by a search of his baggage after he had been stopped for being a non-white. Make sure you haven't forgotten to clear stuff out of your wallet, clothes etc and you'll be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonheid Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 I was there two moths ago and i was bricking it in the airport, but there was no reason to worry. I know loads of folks that live there and they have no trouble any time the have been through the airport. Mega cheap fags and booze in the airport, i think you can get 4 bottles and about 400 smokes when you go in? Or so my mate asked me to get him? I did however get stopped coming back through Schipol airport, but i was let go without any fingers in behinds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Nobody Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 Went through there in October and will never set foot in the place again. People asleep in in the corridors, miserable staff. Two-hour q to get through passport control. We had two young kids one of whom wasn't very well so luckily Emirates let us go though the first class bit. Compared to KL and Singapore Dubai airport is a complete ****hole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Therapist Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 will never set foot in the place again. People asleep in in the corridors Avoid during the haj and umra. :eek: :eek: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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