Q: My brother is caught along with his friends by the CID for using marijuana, and the urine test came out positive. He is a college student in the UAE, and our dad passed away in UAE and buried here himself. Is there anyway I can release him without deportation?

Q: Hi. My daughter was arrested from our residence in Dubai on 29 August for drugs. We had just got back from vacation two weeks prior, where she had smoked weed. She has spent a month in jail and yesterday was her hearing. She is sentenced to AED 5000 and deportation. We will appeal on Sunday. Question is, what are the charges for us to get her out on bail? Can the deportation be cancelled? We have been living in Dubai for 30 years and have nowhere to send her.

Q: My husband has been accused of being involved in drugs. He has been detained by the police since July 3, 2018. He is accused of using drugs and they did not release high drug test results. Until now, we have no update on his case. Can I bail him out? How can he go out of prison and what should I do? I am his wife and I am 7 months pregnant. We have a business which we opened in Feb 2018. The business is failing and losing a lot of money because the business needs my husband to operate it. I am just desperate as he needs to be freed because his name was just given by someone who is really positive in using drugs. They just pointed out his name that's why he ended up there in the police station.

Q: My friend was caught 2 months ago for an attempt of promoting drugs. 3 days later, I was taken for questioning and they did a test which was positive (crystal meth) and I was released on the 3rd day. A few days ago, I received a message saying I should attend a court hearing this 30th. My question is, will there be any deportation? Or will I have to pay a fine? I was caught for consumption only, not promoting neither possession.

Q: Hi What are the possibilities to defend a drug case for personal use and urine test is positive? Is there any way to defend the charges?

Q: Dear sir/madam, My brother was accused of drug trading. He is working as a driver in Uber but unknowingly, he carries some guys who had drugs in their possession at their residence. What can we do to bail him out? He was tested negative.

Q: Hi, I am an Indian. My brother is working in Sharjah. It has been 10 days we can't get any information about him. When we contacted the company, they said he was in jail for drug use. Can you please suggest what we can do for him to come back to India? We don't know the legal formalities. Can you please help us?

Q: My friend got arrested in Dubai while he was using drugs. His friend was also caught by CID for selling drugs. After questioning them, my friend accidentally agreed he was selling drugs. Because he is not good at English and Arabic. It’s been six months since they got arrested. Now, the case status is that he was selling psychotropic substances and it’s a huge amount (almost 20 grams of MDMA). So what will the punishment be?

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, My friend got arrested in a drug case because he went along with one of his friends who has contacts with drug dealers. My friend was also arrested for providing transportation. What will the consequences be, considering that he didn't have anything in his possession and has no criminal background?

Q: Hello, I would like to know what the maximum sentence is for someone caught in a place where drugs are sold.

An interview-format article covering the topic of drug use and rehabilitation in the UAE. This is from the legal podcast of lawyer Ludmila Yamalova, the founder of Lawgical with LYLAW.

A legal concept upheld by the Federal Supreme Court states that drug use is not prosecuted by UAE courts if the offense occurred abroad. A positive drug test is accepted as proof of drug use, but it does not reveal whether the drug use occurred domestically or abroad. It is necessary to establish the crime's location in order to decide if the UAE courts have the authority to investigate it or if foreign courts should have jurisdiction over it.

This Law promulgates the Federal Penal Code (Criminal Law) of the United Arab Emirates. Crimes and chastisement punishments shall be determined in accordance with the provisions of this Law and other penal codes.

The provisions of this Federal Decree-Law No. (31) of 2021 Promulgating the Crimes and Penalties Law, known as the "New UAE Penal Code", governs criminal actions in the United Arab Emirates. The New Penal Code repeals the previous UAE Penal Code (Federal Law No. (3) of 1987 Promulgating the Penal Code).