Swieqi man faces jail in Dubai for transporting alcohol

Sandro Lucia, 36 from Swieqi was arrested by the Dubai police on May 24 after a search in his car yielded a number of alcohol bottles.

According to reports, Lucia was not covered with an alcohol license according to the laws in Dubai, and the quantities involved, did not justify personal use.

Lucia, who works in Dubai as a purchasing manager with Soletanche Bachy construction company, was immediately escorted to Al Wathba prison and has struggled to obtain permission to inform the Maltese Consulate in the UAE.

While Sandro Lucia is now being assisted by the Maltese consular office, lawyer Gianella Caruana Curran has reportedly taken up the case and has briefed the family on the possible penalties the man can face in Dubai.

MaltaToday is informed that Sandro Lucia had bought the alcohol from a bottle shop for westerners, however he had to be covered with an alcohol license to transport it home.

According to sources, the fact that Lucia had a substantial amount of alcohol that didn’t justify his personal use, put him in the awkward position nof being considered as an illegal trader, a crime that carries a prison sentence in Dubai.

The Foreign Office is reportedly following the case, and has authorised diplomatic representations with the UAE in a bid to secure bail for Sandro Lucia.

After a month in detention, Sandro Lucia remains in custody without trial.