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Briton to Be Extradited to Saudi Arabia on Alcohol Charges
A Briton who is being held in custody in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is likely to be extradited to Saudi Arabia on charges of illegally producing and distributing alcohols, the Gulf News daily reported on Sunday.
Dubai Attorney General Ibrahim Abu Melha said on Saturday that Gary Dixon, 55, might be handed over to Saudi authorities after the holidays of Eid Al-Adha due on Monday, according to the Dubai-based newspaper.
Saudi extradition request was based on the accusation that Dixon illegally possessed and ran a den for the manufacture and distribution of alcohols, Abu Melha said.
He added that the Dubai public prosecutor has finished studying the Saudi request and will inform the Dubai Criminal Investigation Department after the holidays to begin extradition proceedings.
Dixon was found guilty of running the British Empire Club, an illegal pub popular with westerners in the Saudi capital of Riyadh for eight years before he was arrested last April.
He was released on bail and fled Saudi Arabia by trekking across the desert for days to the UAE. He was arrested at Dubai airport last June with a forged UAE entry stamp on his passport.
He was jailed for six months in the UAE for immigration offenses and attempting to bribe an official.
Although he has finished the jail terms in the UAE, he is still in custody pending the Saudi extradition.
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