A father-of-one from Britain has been sentenced to 40 years in a "hellhole" after allegedly being found with £2,000 of cocaine. Sam Dorman, 33, was reportedly in possession of half a gram of the substance when he was arrested in last week - a country known for its zero tolerance attitude towards drugs.

Dormon, originally from Glossop, Derbyshire, had his property searched where police discovered 28g of cocaine. Despite being worth around £2,000 in the UK, it could sell for three times more in Dubai. The Brit had moved to the in 2022 to start a new business, but will now be spending the next four decades behind bars. Dormon, a barber and tattoo artist, will be spending his time inside Al-Awir Central Prison, a high security facility known for its extreme brutality. It famously houses death row inmates, murderers and terrorists.

Located in the middle of Dubai desert, the prison is a stark contrast to the luxury high-life of Dubai's coastline. Temperatures can climb up to an insufferable 50C in the summer, with regular reports of violent assaults inside the jail.

In Al-Awir, inmates must keep their head shaved at all times with women required to wear head coverings - although the two are kept in separate facilities.

Criminals are packed into cells like sardines, with multiple prisoners reportedly battling over bed space.

A source close to the Brit told The Sun: "He's got a young daughter in the UK, so to be serving 40 years is really sad.

"He won't be out till he's in his 70s."

The insider added that Dormon's family were "distraught" after he was locked away in the "hellhole" prison.

"When they spoke to him, it looked like he'd taken a battering. I just hope someone can help him," they said.

According to the insider, the 33-year-old simply became part of the "wrong crowd" when he moved out to the Middle East.

They believe that someone Dormon had sold drugs to was caught by the police, in turn having his phone seized. They then used his phone and contacted the Brit pretending to be the buyer where they "nabbed him", the source said.

The Foreign Office said: "We are supporting a British man detained in Dubai."