British rapper Fredo, who released a number one track with Stormzy just months before his arrested, is currently serving time in a Dubai prison for possession of cannabis and could be facing up to three year behind its bars.
The 29 year old rapper and father of one is said to have already appeared in court for the offense, having been jailed for it back in September, pending his appearance in front of a judge.
Having been found with the cannabis on his possession at the time of arrest, an offense like this can carry a serious penalty of up to several years imprisonment.
Radha Stirling, CEO of advocacy organisation ‘Detained In Dubai’, told The Sun news paper, “The most likely outcome for possession of cannabis would be one to two years in prison, it could be up to three years”.
But she added that if prosecutors charge him with intent to sell, or trafficking, the sentence could escalate to five years, or even more.
This is because the crime would then be federal and Fredo would face prosecution in Abu Dhabi.
Radha described that alternative as “slower”, with “worse conditions” and “more violent guards”.
But she said that they may “go easier on him” because of his life in the public eye.
Radha also told The Sun: “Wherever he is, it’s going to be in overcrowded conditions, the lights are going to be on all night… It’s completely disrupted.
“He’s not going to get access to a medicine he needs. There is the risk, obviously, of violence, it’s intimidating.
“And I’m sure that while he’s in prison right now, he’s going to be being told a lot of scary stories from the people that he’s sitting alongside.”
It is not clear what specific charges Fredo is facing at this point in the trial, but it’s believed he could at least face deportation, a fine, and a ban from returning to the country.
This is not his first run in with the law.
In June he was arrested at Heathrow Airport just hours before his new track with Stormzy dropped.
Dramatic video footage filmed from a British Airways jet showed four officers handcuffing Fredo at 7:00am, as he returned from a holiday in Barbados.
The rap star was then taken into custody but later released without any charges.
And in April he was also given a three-year road ban for drug driving.
He was over the legal cannabis limit whist driving a £55,000 Range Rover Velar in Edmonton, North London.
A Foreign Office spokesperson told also told The Sun news paper “We are supporting a British man who is detained in the UAE and are in contact with the local authorities”.
We will bring you more details of Fredo’s case as it unfolds.
