Grooverider has been freed from Dubai prison as part of the pardons issued during Ramadan.

Grooverider has been freed from Dubai prison as part of the pardons issued during Ramadan.Sources have confirmed that the Radio 1 presenter and drum ‘n’ bass pioneer Dj is currently on board a flight back to London Heathrow.Grooverider was sentenced to four years in prison in February and has been serving his time ever since. It is unclear as to what the future holds for the Dj.Flying in for a nightclub gig in November he was caught at the airport with 2.16g of cannabis in his luggage. He stated in an interview afterwards, “I must have forgotten the spliff, it was a small amount. Back home I would not even get prosecuted.”Four years is the minimum sentence for drug trafficking in the United Arab Emirates and on Monday February 18th 2008, this sentence was handed down to Grooverider (known to his passport as Raymond Bingham). It was also reported in the Dubai press that following a urine test, Bingham had traces of drugs in his system. In 2006 R&B vocalist, Dallas Austin was also arrested in the United Emirates after being found guilty of bringing cocaine into the country. After lobbying Utah senator Orrin Hatch, Quincy Jones and Lionel Richie, (who is hugely popular in Dubai), the singer was released and deported.Grooverider was not as lucky as his American counterpart, as there was a lack of backing from his employers in the UK. The British Embassy had been in touch with the Dj but no other information on their involvement has been released.

You Might Also Like :