Grooverider is included on a list of possible pardons which will be dealt with during Ramadan, which falls in September. Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed, traditionally pardons foreigners caught with small amounts of narcotics during religious holidays. The pardon would have come during a period which coincided with the birthday of the prophet Mohammed.
Last November, Grooverider was arrested at Dubai International Airport after a customs search revealed he was in possession of two grams cannabis and a pornographic DVD. Though he had hoped for an early release, some speculate that the government is using him as an example of their zero-tolerance against those who attempt to bring drugs and pornography into the country.
Nearly 17,000 people have signed an online petition asking th government of Dubai to pardon English drum ‘n’ bass DJ/producer Grooverider.
A spokesman for the DJ’s management said: “He’s bearing up but desperate to get out.”
In 2007, 59 Britons were arrested for drug related offenses in Dubai. In a related story, an English woman is facing six years in prison for allegedly having sex on a Dubai beach.