A British football coach has been jailed for 25 years in Dubai after four small bottles of vape liquid containing cannabis oil were found in his car.

Billy Hood from from Notting Hill, West London, was given the harsh sentence despite being able to prove the vape liquid belonged to a visiting friend who had mistakenly left them in his car.

The 24-year-old fitness fanatic, who is anti-drugs and doesn’t smoke, was convicted by a court of drug trafficking with intent to supply.

Police in Dubai are thought to have singled out Hood after monitoring WhatsApp messages and looking for key words related to drugs.

A week before his arrest the friend who owned the vape liquid sent a message telling Hood he had mistakenly left it behind in his car.

Hood, who played semi-professional football for Kensington and Ealing Borough FC, was stunned when police unexpectedly turned up at his flat in January and demanded to search his home and company car.

Four small vials of vape liquid containing cannabis oil (CBD) and a vape pen were later found in the passenger door compartment.

After his arrest Hood volunteered to take a urine test for drugs which came back negative.


https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10083977/British-man-jailed-25-YEARS-Dubai-friends-vape-containing-cannabis-oil-car.html

Vape liquid containing CBD ( cannabis oil) is sold by high street stores in the UK and perfectly legal although they must contain less than 0.2% of THC which is the ingredient that leads to users getting ‘high’.

Cannabis and cannabis oil is illegal in Dubai where there is a zero tolerance to drugs.

Billy said: 'I do not smoke vape pens, cigarettes or even sheesha.

I am very anti-drugs and spend my days coaching in schools with children.

‘I had just moved to a new home in Dubai and went to get a phone charger from my car when I was suddenly approached by police.

‘They jumped out to arrest me, handcuffed me. One officers pointed a taser at me, threatening to use it if I did not cooperate.

‘They demanded I show them where the drugs were. I was shocked and confused and told them I wasn’t in possession of any drugs.’

Hood said one of the arresting officers said they were interested in him from social media but did not take his phone or computer.

He maintains there was no mention of the vape liquid on his social media but in one WhatsApp message.

Police also found a few thousand pounds in cash in his flat but Hood’s employers told police they had paid him they money while his bank account was being set up.

The pressure group Detained in Dubai, who are representing the family, believe the only explanation for police turning up unannounced could be authorities spying and monitoring WhatsApp and reading the message about the vape liquid.

The United Arab Emirates are known to be users of the Israeli made spyware known as Pegasus.

Hood was held at a police station for four days where he was told if he did not sign a confession written in Arabic he would never be allowed to leave.


Hood appeared before a court last week and was convicted of drug smuggling, possession and supply and given the maximum sentence.

His worried family are pinning their hopes on an appeal next week where lawyers will argue he was bullied into signing the confession and prove there is no evidence that the vape liquid was his.

His brother Alex told Mail Online: 'It has been difficult to cope with Billy’s ongoing detention and the idea that he could be in prison until he is 50.

‘You could not meet anyone more fitness focused that Billy. He has never been into drugs and does not even smoke.

We never thought moving to Dubai could be a one-way ticket.’

The family are critical of the British Embassy in Dubai who they claim have not visited Billy during the nine months he has been held in jail.’

Hood’s mum Breda, 52, said:’ I have hidden myself away crying and crying when I think of what my son is going through.

‘It is impossible that he is involved in drugs and my son does not deserve this and I appeal to Sheikh Mohammed to intervene in this case. My son is innocent.’

Radha Sterling, founder of Detained in Dubai, said: Dubai police’s handing of drugs cases has resulted in numerous unfair detentions of foreign nationals.

‘We have seen people arrested and even convicted without evidence, often on the basis of a forced confession in Arabic or from some third party.

‘Drug convictions are prestigious for police leading to promotions and the courts do not need substantial evidence to secure a conviction.

Foreign nationals find it almost impossible to achieve a fair hearing and false allegations are common place.’

This one wan develop Dubai

25 years just like that

In a country where they enjoy pooping on women

This one has been set up

e be tins... Dubai own too much. The British government is coming for their heads.


Wait... Does it mean, there is no privacy in Dubai? Imagine the police monitoring your chat. I will be damned.

Arabs are very ruthless in enforcement of their laws.

Mind the company you keep and be careful accepting packages from "friends & family"

thegadgettrend:
e be tins... Dubai own too much. The British government is coming for their heads.


Wait... Does it mean, there is no privacy in Dubai? Imagine the police monitoring your chat. I will be damned.

privacy ke in Dubai, UAE na one kind country oo
A country where they back employers to oppress their workers
If an employer owes salary they would tell you to go and settle with your employer without taking any action
I don’t know about WhatsApp chat but am double sure they monitor regular calls and sms

90% set up
10% village people

tillaman:
privacy ke in Dubai, UAE na one kind country oo
A country where they back employers to oppress their workers
If an employer owes salary they would tell you to go and settle with your employer without taking any action
I don’t know about WhatsApp chat but am double sure they monitor regular calls and sms

Shou, I no fit lobby to go there be dat o.

What if village people reason you?

thegadgettrend:


Shou, I no fit lobby to go there be dat o.

What if village people reason you?

my bro everything na link oo
And the place fit favour you but the moment I stepped in to that country back then I hated the country immediately
Thank God I left and we bless God thus far
Naija no good but if you sabi Wetin you dey do walahi Naija still fresh

tillaman:
my bro everything na link oo
And the place fit favour you but the moment I stepped in to that country back then I hated the country immediately
Thank God I left and we bless God thus far
Naija no good but if you sabi Wetin you dey do walahi Naija still fresh

You know what's up... Na man you be.

If you know your way for naija, I swear u enjoy.

So Tinubu now plants drugs in people's vehicles, I knew his visit to London recently will bring about bad news and sadly this young man is paying for it in UAE

One reason i dislike all of Arabia... They should enjoy their tourism themselves... Imagine using pegasus to spy on citizens and tourists .This was what Snowden exposed in the United States.

He caused his own problem.
What is a drug addict doing in UAE?

snipesdam:
One reason i dislike all of Arabia... They should enjoy their tourism themselves... Imagine using pegasus to spy on citizens and tourists .This was what Snowden exposed in the United States.

Of what use is Snowden's exposure when the NSA still track all American phones and computers?

tillaman:
privacy ke in Dubai, UAE na one kind country oo
A country where they back employers to oppress their workers
If an employer owes salary they would tell you to go and settle with your employer without taking any action
I don’t know about WhatsApp chat but am double sure they monitor regular calls and sms

Which country has privacy?

Imagine fighting nature's wonder plant like cannabis?
That's dumb!
An intelligent country should charge her scientists to research intensively on marijuana, especially in its purported medical values like apetizer, lowering seizure/epileptsy, libido booster, stress relief, cancer mgt, etc.

Sometimes this countries gives harsh sentence to foreigners just to tell them that your country doesn’t like us and we don’t like you either and to label them criminals as a pay back

ivolt:
He caused his own problem.
What is a drug addict doing in UAE?

If you bothered to actually read the article you’d know that that CBD oil wasn’t his and CBD is nothing more than a medicine anyway. Papers and other manufactured products made from hemp are in the same boat and if you’re not going to imprison someone over a table or notebook you shouldn’t be prosecuting them over CBD either.

Only people who don’t know anything about what CBD really is (or who do know but choose to push the hysterical agenda for their own reasons) lump it in with actual marijuana.

CBD is not psychoactive and it’s not illicit. It’s a plant that doesn’t do anything except provide medicinal and protective effects.

Probz:


If you bothered to actually read the article you’d know that that CBD oil wasn’t his and CBD is nothing more than a medicine anyway.

Drug users are always truthful and would never lie about their actions or possessions.

Papers and other manufactured products made from hemp are in the same boat and if you’re not going to imprison someone over a table or notebook you shouldn’t be prosecuting them over CBD either.

Your logic is impeccable.
If the police doesn't arrest construction workers with lead pipes why would they bother an innocent person with lead bullets?

Only people who don’t know anything about what CBD really is (or who do know but choose to push the hysterical agenda for their own reasons) lump it in with actual marijuana.
[/quote[
Why are you trying to derail the discussion with marijuana. Maybe you.should reread the article once more to understand
the content.

[quote]
CBD is not psychoactive and it’s not illicit. It’s a plant that doesn’t do anything except provide medicinal and protective effects.

CBD is psychoactive. It is not for you to decide what is illicit or not and in this case, UAE holds all the authority.
Quick advice when leaving your comfort zone, your beliefs are irrelevant to a country's law, not all countries
look away when their laws are being violated and trying to rationalise an illegal action won't help.

I am quite happy that the suspect in this case is a white male, we would have been seeing lectures about racism, oppression and privilge
because a man was held responsible for his actions.

This look like na attempt yo whitewash the white guy image, he should provide his criminal friend cum accomplice

If it's black guy even with all evidences pointing to him probably been innocent they will rather do nothing, even in their own Western country

Nawa o

ivolt:

Drug users are always truthful and would never lie about their actions or possessions.


Your logic is impeccable.
If the police doesn't arrest construction workers with lead pipes why would they bother an innocent person with lead bullets?

Show me proof that CBD is psychoactive.

https://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0geKLzT_WdhM_AAPl9x.9w4;_ylu=Y29sbwNiZjEEcG9zAzEEdnRpZAMEc2VjA3Nj/RV=2/RE=1634233939/RO=10/RU=https%3a%2f%2fcbdsky.com%2fis-cbd-non-psychoactive%2f%23%3a~%3atext%3dCBD%2520does%2520not%2520carry%2520psychoactive%2520traits%2520per%2520se%252C%2cthat%2520modulate%2520the%2520work%2520of%2520the%2520immune%2520system./RK=2/RS=mLTDwfg6dofdpZTzdYitegm15mo-

https://www.projectcbd.org/science/cbd-really-non-psychoactive

https://tanasi.com/blog/is-cbd-psychoactive/

https://www.thegrowthop.com/wellness/fact-check-is-weeds-cbd-psychoactive-or-not

https://www.zambeza.com/blog-why-is-thc-psychoactive-and-cbd-is-not-n113



CBD is not going to get you high. It’s a medicine. Get that into your thick head.

You’re confusing CBD with THC.

Oyinbo will leave the comfort of his country to explore a place where human rights is not respected. Muslim countries and their wahala though