An Air Force veteran and his brother were sentenced to prison in the United Arab Emirates last week for being “drugged” during a yacht party.
Joseph and Joshua Lopez were convicted of drinking alcohol and given one-month jail sentences in Dubai for alleged drug use. According to The charges were filed with Dubai Detention (DID), a legal organisation that aims to assist foreigners imprisoned in the UAE. The brothers' sentences could be even longer due to outstanding charges of “damaging government property and assaulting a police officer” in connection with the yacht incident. (Related: Federal government alleges Ohio man posed as UAE prince to steal $10M)
“They were drugged by locals after being invited to a yacht party,” DID CEO Radha Sterling said in a press release on the group's website, calling for the brothers' release. “They had a few drinks on the yacht and the next thing they remember is being taken away in an unmarked vehicle by plainclothes police officers.”
#Ohio Joseph, a military veteran, and his brother Joshua Lopez #Dubai It's almost here. Translator He says he's been helping out behind the scenes and we hope he can bring these brothers home as soon as possible. #JDVance https://t.co/nKZom52vo9
— Radha Stirling (@RadhaStirling) August 19, 2024
The brothers traveled to the UAE on May 25 to shoot social media content for Joseph, who became a social media influencer after retiring from the Air Force and is the current title holder of the “Mister Louisiana” pageant, the New York Post reported. Reported.
According to the New York Post, after partying at a local nightclub on June 2, an Uber driver offered to take them to an afterparty, but instead delivered a pile of food and drinks they hadn't ordered. Twenty minutes after arriving, the brothers received a hefty bill and were then invited to a yacht party, where they were offered a drink.
“This girl brought me a drink, and then I don't remember anything after that,” Joseph Lopez previously said. said Fox 19 Now in Cincinnati.
Following their arrest, the brothers were taken to Al Barsha Police Station, according to the NYP. Despite their request, UAE law enforcement officials refused to test the Lopez brothers for the “presence of drugs or sedatives,” according to DID.
“The government promotes Dubai as a safe, crime-free destination for tourists, but in reality we see tourists being targeted all the time,” Sterling said in a press release. “It's a myth that Dubai is crime-free – the government just doesn't allow it because it would be bad for business.”
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