ABU DHABI // An American musician was deported on Friday for possessing controlled painkillers without the proper prescription.
Matthew Gonzales, 37, was detained in April on charges of illegal possession of drugs when he was found with tramadol.
He was sentenced with two years in prison but the sentence was later reduced to deportation and a Dh7,000 fine.
The case sparked renewed calls from legal figures for tourists to take precaution when bringing medicines or drugs into the UAE.
Mr Gonzales, a musician and IT worker, was passing through Abu Dhabi on April 16 to board a Royal Caribbean ship when he was detained for not having a prescription or registering his pain medication, which is on the list of banned drugs in the UAE.
His sister, Nicole Denil, brought in documentation proving that the tramadol was prescribed to him by his doctors, was the sentence reduced to deportation and a Dh7,000 fine. She also used the hashtag #freematty on social media to draw attention to the case.
"We had the lawyers trying to move the appeal day out. We had senators from five different states and congressmen from five different states lobbying for this," Denil told local media.
Mr Gonzales told local media that he had been in Al Wathba prison for more than two months.
"It's obviously good to be home. (My sister is) an angel, a rock star. I don't think I'll ever be able to walk through a full day without feeling unburdened. I don't know if that's the right word. I owe her everything," he said.
Authorities have repeatedly warned visitors of bringing in drugs without prescriptions.
Lawyer Huda Al Falamarzy said that she has seen many cases of tourists who are unaware of the regulations and arrested for bringing in medication without the necessary documents.
“It is not just that they must have an authenticated prescription from an official and certified authority in their home country but it also has to be very accurate. The exact dosage has to be mentioned and signed by a certified doctor.”
Ms Al Falamarzy said that she is representing a young man on similar charges.
“He has a prescription for one-month worth of medication. In the prescription it said that he was to take one tablet per day. Unfortunately, he found that it was cheaper to order his medicine online in bulk so he ordered three months’ worth of tablets.”
Customs alerted the authorities and he was arrested.
“So if your prescription is for one month, make sure you only bring in one months’ worth of medicines,” she said.
Mr Gonzales, she said, received a lenient sentence.
In October last year, the President, Sheikh Khalifa, updated the 1995 law to downgrade the use of illegal drugs to a misdemeanor. Under the previous law, Mr Gonzales would have been sentenced to four years in prison.
A list of restricted and controlled medicines or drugs is available on the Ministry of Health’s website.
It stipulates that residents and non-residents patients can bring in a maximum of three -month supply of prescription medicine for their personal use.
salnuwais@thenational.ae
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
What is safeguarding?
“Safeguarding, not just in sport, but in all walks of life, is making sure that policies are put in place that make sure your child is safe; when they attend a football club, a tennis club, that there are welfare officers at clubs who are qualified to a standard to make sure your child is safe in that environment,” Derek Bell explains.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Result
Qualifier: Islamabad United beat Karachi Kings by eight wickets
Fixtures
Tuesday, Lahore: Eliminator 1 - Peshawar Zalmi v Quetta Gladiators
Wednesday, Lahore: Eliminator 2 – Karachi Kings v Winner of Eliminator 1
Sunday, Karachi: Final – Islamabad United v Winner of Eliminator 2
What is tokenisation?
Tokenisation refers to the issuance of a blockchain token, which represents a virtually tradable real, tangible asset. A tokenised asset is easily transferable, offers good liquidity, returns and is easily traded on the secondary markets.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
What's in the deal?
Agreement aims to boost trade by £25.5bn a year in the long run, compared with a total of £42.6bn in 2024
India will slash levies on medical devices, machinery, cosmetics, soft drinks and lamb.
India will also cut automotive tariffs to 10% under a quota from over 100% currently.
Indian employees in the UK will receive three years exemption from social security payments
India expects 99% of exports to benefit from zero duty, raising opportunities for textiles, marine products, footwear and jewellery
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Ultra processed foods
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
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