Last updated at 22:48 19 February 2008

A BBC radio presenter has been jailed for four years in Dubai after he was caught with marijuana worth £10.

Radio 1 DJ Grooverider, whose real name is Raymond Bingham, was caught with the drug shortly after landing in the United Arab Emirates last November.

Bingham has a fortnight to appeal or can apply to the royal family for a pardon.

His BBC bosses said he had paid a "very high price" while his lawyers insisted he had simply forgotten he was carrying a tiny amount of the drug for personal use.

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Jailed for four years: Raymond Bingham, aka Grooverider, had travelled to Dubai to spin some discs... but has ended up with a criminal record

Customs officials who searched the 40-year-old found less than a tenth of an ounce of marijuana in his pocket.

He has been in an airport cell ever since.

Bingham was handed the jail term by the Dubai Court of First Instance and was found guilty of illegally bringing in and possessing marijuana.

He was arrested at Dubai Airport on November 23 last year after travelling to Dubai to play a set.

He allegedly also had some pornographic DVDs in his possession.

The DJ had previously told the court that he did not know he had the drugs on him and that he had no intention of bringing them to Dubai.

At an earlier court appearance, he said: "The drugs were in my possession and I forgot I had them in my trousers."

Bingham, who is recognised as a "godfather" of drum and bass and co-hosts a weekly Radio One show, is likely to be deported after serving his sentence.

In a published interview from jail before he was sentenced, he said: "I just want this to end and to never come back. It was a small amount. Back home I would not even get prosecuted."

The DJ began his career at illegal raves and warehouse parties in the late 80s before rising to fame with his DJ partner Fabio.

The pair performed influential sets at club nights such as Rage and Speed, where they championed the emerging "breakbeat" culture.

This would eventually split from house and techno to become hardcore and then jungle music which in turn became known as drum and bass.

"Fabio and Grooverider" are credited with shaping the sound of drum 'n' bass and helping establish house and techno in the UK.

They first started DJing together in the 80s on Phase One, a pirate radio station.

The pair have played extensively on the rave and house circuits for years, both together and separately.

Four years is the minimum sentence for drug possession in the United Arab Emirates, which has very conservative laws.

It recently installed new drug-sensitive detecting equipment in its airports.

Drugs are strictly banned and recently there have been several high-profile cases of foreigners being jailed for smuggling small amounts into the country.

Earlier this month, another Briton was jailed to the same term after a tiny amount of cannabis was found in his shoe.

Youth development officer Keith Brown, 43, from the West Midlands" was found with 0.003g of the drug - an amount invisible to the naked eye.

A Canadian UN official was also jailed last year for carrying 0.5g of hashish and two poppy seeds into the country.

Bert Tatham, who was on his way back from advising the Afghan government, was later issued a rare pardon and deported back home.

British tourists have increasingly headed for Dubai instead of more downmarket European party resorts like Ayia Napa and Faliraki.

The city, with its luxury hotels and relatively cheap weekend package deals, is a convenient and comfortable choice.

But many visitors are apparently unaware of its strict anti-drug policy.

Labour peer Lord Ahmed is reportedly currently helping the families of eight men under the age of 30 who have been arrested for alleged drug offences there.

Writing in the Eastern Eye newspaper this month, the peer warned tourists not to treat a holiday in Dubai with the same sort of hedonism as a trip to Ibiza.

He said: "My plea to parents is to ensure firstly that young children are not taking drugs... And don't go to the Middle East countries as there is a zero tolerance towards drugs.

"The men [detained] are mainly from Lancashire and Yorkshire. They were caught by a drug-scanning machine with the drugs in their pockets or in their socks. They are from decent families, some in business, who have done really well.

"They can be in a cell for months as a conviction doesn't happen overnight. In one particular case, the prosecution is asking every month for extra time, resulting in longer delays in the case."