B.C. man jailed on Dubai drug charges pardoned
Last Updated: Monday, December 17, 2007 | 11:39 AM PT
CBC News
Related
Internal Links
A Vancouver anti-narcotics worker who was sentenced in Dubai to four years in prison on drug charges has been pardoned.
Bert Tatham's family is hoping to have him home for Christmas.
Bert Tatham, 35, is one of dozens of prisoners pardoned in the United Arab Emirates as part of an amnesty.
Tatham's mother, Louise, confirmed he would be released, but would not comment further.
On Freebert.ca — a website dedicated to freeing Tatham and lobbying the Canadian government on his behalf — a note posted Monday also confirmed his release.
"We are working to determine how fast we can get him out of there.… We're hoping to have him around for Christmas!" the post read.
The 35-year-old man worked in Afghanistan advising farmers on how to give up growing opium poppy crops, as part of the U.S. State Department's Afghan poppy elimination program.
On April 23, Tatham was arrested during a layover at Dubai International Airport on his way back to Vancouver, after being found with less than 0.6 of a gram of hashish and two poppy bulbs.
He was sentenced in June to the full sentence of four years in prison for drug possession and smuggling.
During his trial in Dubai, Tatham's lawyer said traces of hashish found in his urine were inhaled by Tatham as second-hand smoke.
The poppy bulbs in Tatham's possession were for "experiments and education," his lawyer said. His mother, who lives in Duntroon, Ont., has said her son used the bulbs as a "prop" for speaking engagements and also kept them as souvenirs.
With files from the Canadian PressShare Tools
Latest British Columbia News Headlines
- Ryder Hesjedal wins prestigious Giro d'Italia
- Victoria, B.C., native Ryder Hesjedal has become the first Canadian to win one of the cycling world's three Grand Tour events, wrapping up the 2012 Giro d'Italia with an excellent performance in the final stage in Milan. more »
- Surrey RCMP seek hit-run driver
- Police are looking for a light-coloured Chrysler with damage to the driver's front side after a pedestrian was hit in Surrey, B.C., early Sunday morning. more »
- B.C. man who scaled Everest returns home
- A Vancouver man who climbed the world's highest mountain is back home and talking about the adventure. more »
- Fort Langley restaurant damaged in fire
- A sushi restaurant in Fort Langley, B.C., was damaged in a fire early Sunday morning. more »
Top News Headlines
- Canadian Pacific strikers face back-to-work legislation
- Labour Minister Lisa Raitt is prepared to end the Canadian Pacific Railway strike if necessary, after both CP and the union rejected a proposal for voluntary arbitration by the government-appointed negotiator on Sunday. Raitt says she is "extremely disappointed." more »
- Syrian regime denies role in Houla massacre
- The UN Security Council condemned the Syrian regime at an emergency meeting Sunday, holding president Bashar al-Assad's military responsible for the massacre of more than 100 people, dozens of whom were children younger than 10 years old. more »
- Ryder Hesjedal wins prestigious Giro d'Italia
- Victoria, B.C., native Ryder Hesjedal has become the first Canadian to win one of the cycling world's three Grand Tour events, wrapping up the 2012 Giro d'Italia with an excellent performance in the final stage in Milan. more »
- Neighbour may have helped find missing kids in Mexico
- Two Winnipeg children who had been missing for nearly four years were found in Mexico after a man raised concerns about his neighbour, according to a private investigator. more »
- B.C. NDP calls for unity in fighting coast guard closure
- Surrey RCMP seek hit-run driver
- B.C. man who scaled Everest returns home
- Fort Langley restaurant damaged in fire
- Passengers' families sue for fatal B.C. plane crash
- B.C. Coast Guard Auxiliary gets new name
- Tsunami motorcycle heading to Harley museum
- Psych ward escapes worry neighbours
- Gang forum honours Surrey 6 victim
