British man facing death penalty in Abu Dhabi Unfortunately, we are not surprised given the shocking developments regarding reports of police action and the state of the country's judicial system over recent years. In response to this news in particularly, we call on national governments, including the UK, to finally take decisive action and properly warn their citizens about the real risks of visiting the UAE. The two men were arrested along with a Sudanese man, who was sentenced to a year and deportation for consuming the drug, and a 17-year-old Emirati, who was sent for rehabilitation. While the UAE is known to have strict laws covering many crimes, including drugs, the normal sentence for possession is one to four years, and for dealing small amounts of cannabis around seven years. Dubai, which has a separate judicial system under the country's federal structure, recently reacted to a wave of bad publicity by ordering those found with small amounts of drugs at the international airport to be deported immediately rather than jailed. On one occasion, a Briton was imprisoned after arriving with a poppy seed stuck to the bottom of his shoe. In Abu Dhabi, the death sentence is more common for dealing drugs but in all recent cases has been overturned on appeal. Before being carried out, it has to be signed off by the emirate's ruler, Sheikh Khalifa al-Nahyan, who is also unlikely to risk damaging the country's close relationship with Britain. His brother, the Crown Prince, Sheikh Mohammed, met David Cameron, the prime minister, in London on Monday. A British Embassy spokeswoman said. We will remain in close contact with him and continue to provide the appropriate consular assistance. A Syrian embassy spokesman said he could give no details.