A 23-year-old British law student has been sentenced to 25 years in a Dubai prison and ordered to pay a $136,000 fine after being found with about 50 grams of cocaine, her family said.
Mia O’Brien, who had been studying law at the University of Liverpool, pleaded not guilty, her mother, Danielle McKenna, told British media. McKenna said the trial was conducted in Arabic and that O’Brien was informed of the sentence by her lawyer. O’Brien faces an appeal in the coming weeks, McKenna added.
McKenna, 46, of Merseyside, said her daughter was detained after police found the drugs in an apartment in Dubai and that two other people present — including a friend — have been charged with drug-dealing. The amount seized was about 50 grams, which McKenna and local media reports said has an estimated street value of roughly $3,377.
O’Brien’s mother described conditions at Dubai’s Central Prison, where her daughter is being held, as dire. "She has to sleep on a mattress on the floor and shares the cell with six others," McKenna told reporters. "The prison conditions are horrendous. There are no staff really, and she has to bang on a big door if she needs anything. She’s seen fights and said she has been really scared."
Human Rights Watch reported last year that detainees in the UAE face overcrowded cells and that sexual violence and abuse occur in some detention facilities. The group documented incidents of physical abuse and inadequate oversight in parts of the UAE’s penal system, findings McKenna cited in describing her daughter’s situation.
A fundraising campaign established by McKenna to cover legal fees was removed from GoFundMe for violating the platform’s terms, she said. After the removal, McKenna posted bank details on social media seeking donations to pay legal expenses.
O’Brien’s family said the sentence has left the young woman "devastated" and that she believes it has ruined her chances of becoming a solicitor. McKenna told reporters her daughter had traveled to Dubai to visit a friend and that she did not intend to carry contraband.
The case has drawn attention in British tabloid coverage and online, with family members and supporters urging legal avenues for appeal. O’Brien’s legal team, and UAE authorities, did not provide statements to the media in the coverage cited by the family.
O’Brien is scheduled to pursue an appeal in the coming weeks, according to her mother. The outcome of that appeal and any further legal developments were not immediately available.
