British drum & bass icon Grooverider was sentenced to four years in jail in Dubai this week for possessing 2.16g of cannabis as he flew into the United Arab Emirates last December for a DJing gig.

Leading figures from the Gulf States thriving dance community said the case has been ‘big news in Dubai’ and predicted wider fallout in the future.

“Everybody knows Dubai is a drug free country but it’s pure intimidation and nervousness when you fly somewhere knowing that someone might ask you to strip just because your eyes are red after a long flight,” one promoter told Skrufff. “It definitely now discourages international DJs from coming here.”

“I definitely think that clampdown on drugs is a good thing but there’s no need for such drastic measures,” he continued. “This is a quote from a well known DJ when I tried to book him: ‘I’ve heard they arrest people for having medicine with them: it’s a bit risky don’t you think? They may arrest me for no reason if they don’t like my face or whatever: so what happens then?’”

The promoter asked to remain anonymous, as did another DJ who revealed that the case has already caused one sponsor to pull out of Dubai’s upcoming Muzik Week conference.

“As an isolated case, it’s unlikely to have an impact but what’s more likely to cause problems is if the UAE keep detaining people who have 0.0003 grams of cannabis on their shoe. You can’t even see it, let alone smoke it,” he pointed out. “Or if they keep stopping people for having three – count them: three – poppy seeds on their person.

“These cases are utterly ludicrous and are being reported worldwide, which can have a seriously negative impact on tourism here, which is important because much of the country’s wealth comes from tourism.

“I feel for Grooverider personally, he’s a big name DJ and by all accounts a cool guy – I can’t imagine what he must be going through being in prison,” he added. “In general everybody is sympathetic with him here, although there are some people mumbling that he should have known better, as his peers have been here many times and they fully aware of the laws, which is true. He should’ve been warned more in advance.”