An American has been stranded in ‘purgatory’ in Dubai, accused of drug trafficking six pills of his own prescription drug.
Charles Wimberly, 52, is taking high-powered ibuprofen and CBD tablets for a back injury and PTSD he suffered when he fell from a helicopter during his 21-year career in the US Navy.
He went on holiday to the United Arab Emirates with friends before undergoing the next of a number of back operations in November.
But he was stopped at security after emptying his pockets of the six 10 mg pills at airport security on September 27 on his way home to Covington, Georgia.
Charles Wimberly, 52, takes high-powered ibuprofen and CBD tablets for a back injury and PTSD he suffered when he fell from a helicopter during his 21-year career in the US Navy
Wimberly mistakenly thought the CBD medication was allowed because it was prescribed, based on information he read online.
Airport security disagreed, telling him it was illegal, and police arrested him on drug trafficking charges, which carries a huge prison sentence.
“Charles was unfortunately given misinformation online about prescription medications,” said Dubai Detainee CEO Radha Stirling.
“He thought he was following the law, but now faces more than three years in prison for ‘dealing’ with his own prescription drugs.”
Police threw Wimberly in jail and told his friend to leave and get on their flight or they would be arrested too.
Without his diabetes medications, which were also confiscated, his blood sugar levels dropped to 40 mg/dl and he fell into a diabetic coma.
“Charles was incarcerated and denied his prescribed medications and medications to control his diabetes and sleep apnea, causing him to have a diabetic episode,” Stirling said.
“He is a good man who does not use drugs (as evidenced by his medical history). All he wanted was one last vacation before his grueling surgery.”
Wimberly woke up when a doctor shone a light in his eyes and asked if he had diabetes.
“My PTSD is at a very high level right now…I’m so tired of crying…I can’t stop shaking. My daughter is so upset…I feel like I’ve let everyone down,” said Wimberly (pictured with his daughter)
Unable to walk, police carried him to another cell in the prison, where about 240 inmates were crammed together, sleeping on mattresses on the floor.
After languishing there for hours, he took a drug test to confirm his story that the drugs were for his own medicinal use and that he was not a drug dealer.
Wimberly said the results led prosecutors to drop charges on drug possession charges, but he still couldn’t go home.
He was released without bail, but his passport was flagged so he could not leave the UAE until his non-specific court hearing – likely months or even years later.
He picked up his luggage, which was taken from the plane, and took a taxi to a hotel where he has been living for $80 a day ever since.
Wimberly survives on turkey sandwiches from a local supermarket and does his best to treat his chronic back pain with over-the-counter medications.
“My PTSD is at a very high level right now…I’m so tired of crying…I can’t stop shaking. My daughter is so upset…I feel like I’ve let everyone down,” he said.
Stirling said the longer Wimberly was stuck in the UAE, the more damage it would do to his health as he would almost certainly miss his operation.
“If he is not released soon, he will miss his operation in Georgia and the UAE will not provide him with any medical treatment,” he said.
‘If he stays in Dubai, things will get very bad for Charles very quickly. His family, especially his daughter, are very concerned about his health and well-being.”
Wimberly will wait for a trial with no end in sight, as even suspects found not guilty often spend six months in the country.
Wimberly misread UAE laws that allowed prescription drugs into the country, but only if they were registered in advance.
“All travelers bringing controlled medicines into the UAE must apply for approval through the Ministry of Health website. This must be done before you make the trip,” the rules state.
“Controlled medications” includes “drugs that, if not used responsibly, can lead to addiction and have the potential to be abused by individuals.”
CBD, unlike marijuana, does not have psychotropic effects, but still falls within that definition.
Wimberly will await a trial with no end in sight, as even suspects found not guilty often spend six months in the country.