Pubdate: Sat, 16 Jun 2007 Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC) Copyright: 2007 The Vancouver Sun Contact: http://www.canada.com/vancouver/vancouversun/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/477 Author: Steven Edwards, CanWest News Service B.C. Man Awaits Ruling On Dubai Drug Charges UNITED NATIONS -- Counting the days before Dubai judges rule on drug charges against Vancouver anti-narcotics official Bert Tatham, his family is alarmed about the sentences that have been meted out for the possession of far smaller amounts of drugs. Dubai courts recently sentenced a British man to four years in jail for the possession of just 0.07 grams of hashish. An Italian received the same sentence for carrying a mere 0.01 grams. Tatham, carrying 0.6 grams of hashish and two dried poppy flowers, was arrested in April on his way through the tiny Arab emirate. He was returning to Canada after anti-narcotics work in Afghanistan. At his trial this week, his lawyers argued he was in possession of the substances for work-related reasons. But while sources familiar with the case revealed Friday that a senior Dubai official has expressed sympathy for Tatham's defence argument and has been looking for a reason to release him, the case has been complicated by the emirate's zero-tolerance policy on drug offences. A three-judge panel will rule Tuesday whether Tatham, who remains in detention, is guilty of drug possession and possession with intent to distribute the drugs. Dubai's penal code, a mix of Islamic Sharia law and British law, dictates a maximum of four years in jail for possession. A 1996 law says trafficking is punishable by death. "We're hoping for the best, but I'm concerned his chances are only 50-50," said Tatham's worried father, Charlie, of Collingwood, Ont. Tatham graduated from the University of British Columbia with an earth sciences degree, then worked in forest management. After returning to college to study satellite imagery, Tatham got a job that took him to Africa and Central America, interpreting what satellite pictures tell about such concerns as drought and the production of drug materials. In 2005, Tatham signed a six-month contract with the United Nations, analyzing the extent of drug cultivation in Afghanistan. "That's where he learned just how big the problem was, and how drugs were really driving things over there, and also around the world," said the elder Tatham. "So when he came back to Canada, he was restless, and decided to return to Afghanistan to a job that amounted to managing a team of Afghans who would work with farmers, government officials, aid agencies and NATO to try to get the drug problem under control." Based in Kandahar, Tatham was involved in poppy eradication and projects to encourage farmers to switch to other crops. "People who know Bert in Kandahar would be aghast if they knew where he was right now," said his father. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom