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Grooverider Detained In Dubai United Arab Emirates customs officials arrested drum & bass icon Grooverider last weekend after allegedly finding cannabis and ‘hardcore porn’ DVDs in the Radio 1 DJ’s record bag. The British superstar DJ was arrested at Dubai’s international airport, the Sunday Mirror reported, and faces his first court appearance this week. Grooverider’s detention is the latest in a series of drugs busts of Western travellers passing through Dubai’s airport, most of whom have received four year sentences, including some just for failing drug tests. However, notable exceptions have occurred, such as for US R&B star Dallas Austin who was sentenced to four years after being caught with a gram of coke and ecstasy in July. The Madonna producer claimed the drugs had been planted in his record bag and was pardoned immediately when convicted, reportedly following intensive lobbying by US senators and pop stars including Quincy Jones and Lionel Richie, Indian star DJ Aqeel was also arrested earlier this year on the way to spin at Dubai mega-club Trilogy and detained for 9 days after cops found a tiny amount of ecstasy in his wallet, though was subsequently cleared of possession charges after passing drug tests and convincing court officials that the ecstasy had been planted. Speaking about his experiences, the Bollywood celebrity admitted being shocked and scared when initially arrested though said the excellent conditions he was held in helped ameliorate the trauma. “There was a detention centre at the airport. It was like a nice three-star hotel. The Dubai police really took good care of me. The officials treated me like a guest in their house,” he told Bollywood portal Ourbollywood.com in June. “I could call up when I wanted, smoke when I wanted, and eat whatever I wanted. It was quite comfortable,” he said. Grooverider should also benefit from his long established reputation for clean-living which fellow drum & star Goldie highlighted in a Mixmag interview as long ago as 1995. "The thing that cracks me up is Groove mate, he's the straightest geezer," Goldie laughed, "He doesn't do any f**king drugs mate and he's been like playing for so many years with all these people off their **cking nuts. He's got a genuine love for the people and a love of the music.” http://tinyurl.com/268j2x (The Times: ‘Two Britons visiting Dubai have each been jailed for four years for possessing tiny amounts of soft drugs for personal use The harsh sentences highlight the zero-tolerance policy to all drugs enforced by the authorities in the United Arab Emirates, a federation of seven Gulf states. A mere speck of a drug forgotten in a trouser pocket can bring a four-year jail term . . .’) http://www.myspace.com/djgrooverider1 (Grooverider: “I’ve listened to black music all my life. Reggae, Hip Hop, R&B, Funk, Disco the whole thing. I started cruising to house then hardcore. Now its drum n bass but house is what I know inside out. That’s what I grew up with, my first love. I know everything about it. Drum n bass is something we formulated out of house . . .’) http://tinyurl.com/24e4cy (Daily Mirror: ‘DJ HELD IN PORN SWOOP’) Article by Jonty Skrufff (Skrufff.com)
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