of any substances . The warning followed a series of cases in which Dubai authorities arrested travelers with trace amounts of banned substances or seemingly innocuous items . Fair Trials highlighted the case of a Swiss man jailed for having three poppy seeds on his shirt which apparently came from a sandwich he had eaten at the airport before departure . UAE customs officials said the man was stopped after arriving in Dubai from Zurich on January 18 , though it provided no other details on his case . The U.S. State Department warns that poppy seeds are on the UAE 's list of controlled substances . An official at the UAE 's police labs who declined to be named said the Emirates only ban raw poppy seeds -- not baked -- because raw seeds could be planted for drug use . The British and U.S. governments have warnings in place for travelers to the UAE , alerting them to the severe penalties for being found with drugs , and the types of drugs which are illegal in the country . `` The possession and/or import of even the smallest amount of drugs can result in a minimum prison sentence
DUBAI , United Arab Emirates -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The recent arrest and sentencing of a British disc jockey in Dubai highlights the need for foreign travelers to pay close attention to the United Arab Emirates ' strict rules on prohibited substances , a legal charity said Wednesday . Western tourists oblivious to the severe drugs laws in the UAE often end up in jail after arriving in the conservative Muslim country with tiny amounts of narcotics . DJ Grooverider , whose real name is Raymond Bingham , was jailed Tuesday for four years in Dubai for possession of cannabis , said a spokesman for BBC Radio 1 , where the he presented a weekly drum 'n bass show . He was arrested November 23 after being caught with 2.16 grams of the drug at the airport , the BBC spokesman said . `` It 's another incident of exactly the sort of case we 've seen occurring with increased frequency , '' said Catherine Wolthuizen , chief executive of Fair Trials International . The charity issued a warning to travelers earlier this month , urging them to read up on Dubai 's restrictions and make sure they are free