Warning to holidaymakers that traveling to Dubai could be a ‘one-way ticket’ to jail after 21-year-old New York student jailed for a YEAR after punching airport security guard during a strip search

The one-year prison sentence of an American student in Dubai for the trivial crime of touching an airport security guard is a warning to the millions of holidaymakers traveling to the strict Arab state, a campaigner has claimed.

Radha Stirling, leader of the pressure group Detained in Dubai, said the sentence imposed on Elizabeth Polanco De Los Santos was a prime example of how holidays to the United Arab Emirates can end in a nightmare.

Speaking to MailOnline, she warned that a trip to the country could end up being a ‘one-way ticket’ to prison.

Stirling said British tourists have in the past broken strict laws in the desert paradise known for its glitz and glamor and favored by an army of influencers.

“Tourists are vulnerable to vindictive, false and unproven accusations that could see them languishing in notorious prisons,” Ms Stirling said. “They are vulnerable to extortion schemes like we see from airport workers, car rental companies, taxi drivers and so on.” She added: ‘For many tourists, a trip to Dubai can be a one-way ticket to prison. ‘

New York-based student De Los Santos was accused of “assaulting and insulting” officials during a 10-hour layover at the country’s international airport after a flight from Turkey where she had undergone a medical procedure.

After a medical corset was fitted after her surgery which appeared on an airport security device, she was forced to strip semi-naked to prove to staff what she was wearing. Unable to get the corset back into place, she reached out and touched the arm of a female guard to get help.

The 21-year-old was accused by the Dubai author of ‘assaulting and insulting’ the security guard and was banned from leaving the country. She denied the allegations.

In the photo: Al-Awir Central Prison in Dubai, located in the United Arab Emirates

Dubai International Airport, where the July 14 incident took place

After being fined for the incident in July, the guard appealed the court’s decision and this week De Los Santos found out she had been sentenced to a year in prison. Earlier this year, another American visitor, Tierra Allen, was jailed after being accused of yelling at car rental workers. Ms Stirling has campaigned for De Los Santos’ release.

She said: “The recent high-profile cases of Elizabeth Polanco De Los Santos and Tierra Allen serve as examples of what is happening in Dubai every day.

‘The leadership has spent billions marketing a glamorous city to the British and American public, relying entirely on the naivety of visitors and investors to bring in dollars. ‘At the same time, management has done very little to make the location safe for the people they lure in. “Tourists are vulnerable to vindictive, false and unsubstantiated accusations that could leave them languishing in notorious prisons.

“They are vulnerable to extortion schemes like we see from airport workers, car rental companies, taxi drivers and so on.”

She added: ‘For many tourists, a trip to Dubai can be a one-way trip.’

The arrest in Dubai has helped dozens of British tourists who have been given stiff prison sentences for seemingly trivial offences.

Laleh Shahravesh, 55, was detained under strict cybercrime laws when she visited the country with her daughter Paris in 2019. She was accused of calling her ex-husband’s wife a “horse” in a Facebook post.

A doctor shows a corridor in the medical center of Al-Awir Central Prison in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Elizabeth Polanco De Los Santos, 21, and a friend were heading to New York from Turkey and were detained by airport security during a 10-hour layover at Dubai International Airport

De Los Santos pictured with her 44-year-old father, who has passed away, in this undated photo

Despite the social media post being made three years prior to her trip to Dubai, she was arrested and threatened with jail.

The 55-year-old paid a £625 fine, was allowed to leave the country and vowed never to return. Others who have broken Dubai’s laws include Scottish electrician Jamie Harron, who was jailed for three months for touching a man in a bar.

Australian aid worker living in Dubai, Scott Richards, was jailed for trying to raise money to buy blankets for Afghan children.

Authorities said it was not a registered charity and was not authorized to collect cash.

Former apprentice contestant Selina Waterman-Smith was sentenced to prison earlier this year over a ‘bounced cheque’ that she says she did not write.

She alleged that a former business partner had harassed her for years and that she had been the victim of extortion.

But because she refused to pay £27,000, her ex-partner claimed she owed the country and could not have left the country.

Stirling said: ‘In Dubai it is not about guilt or innocence. A single accusation is enough to secure a conviction, regardless of whether there is evidence of wrongdoing or not. Often accusations are used by complainants to secure large settlement payments and close the case.

‘Tourists from Britain and America should be aware that Dubai is a dangerous place to visit.

“Any country where a mere unproven accusation can result in lengthy prison sentences is an unacceptable choice for tourists and Dubai must work hard to stop this type of legal abuse.”