Travelers Told They Could Be Arrested in the UAE if Alcohol Is Found in Blood

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People walk through Dubai’s International Airport on September 14, 2017. There are seven different emirates in the UAE, and each has its own laws. Alcohol is completely banned in Sharjah, while tourists are allowed to... Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty

Travelers flying to the United Arab Emirates may want to reconsider drinking alcoholic beverages while on board.

The British consulate in the United Arab Emirates warned travelers on its Facebook page on Thursday that they could be arrested if alcohol is found in their blood.

"If caught carrying or drinking alcohol without a license or with alcohol in your blood, you can be arrested. It is a punishable offense to be under the influence of alcohol in public—including when transiting through the UAE," the consulate said in a post on its Facebook page, according to The Independent.

There are seven different emirates in the UAE, and each emirate has its own laws. Alcohol is completely banned in Sharjah, while tourists are allowed to consume alcohol in Dubai if they are in possession of an alcohol license.

"In light of the FCO's [Foreign and Commonwealth Office] announcement, we will be contacting all airlines who transit to or through the UAE to clarify their position on serving alcohol to passengers. Either the UAE will need to reform their laws urgently, or the airlines will need to update their policy to ensure the safety of customers," Radha Stirling, the chief executive of human rights group Detained in Dubai said, according to The Telegraph.

The warning comes just two months after a woman and her 4-year-old child were held in Dubai because the passenger drank a glass of wine on a flight. Ellie Holman and her daughter were stopped by immigration officials in Dubai who questioned her about her visa and if she had consumed any alcohol. After being told that her visa was denied, authorities took a sample of Holman's blood to test for alcohol. Holman was reportedly forced to clean toilets and was refused water before she and her daughter were released on bail after three days.

"Ellie's arrest highlights two issues that are ongoing risks to travelers. One is that it is entirely illegal for tourists to consume alcohol, even if it is a minute amount and was provided by a licensed vendor or airline," Stirling said in a press release on Thursday.

Stirling added, "Complaints are opened against victims for the sole purpose of requesting compensatory payments to cancel the case. The complainant is not required to prove that the person was offensive, his word is enough to secure a prosecution. This leads to false accusations for extortive purpose and has been the cause of many wrongful detentions."

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