Traveler Detained For Bringing Bottle of Rum in Bag Shares Details of ‘Surreal’ and ‘Intimidating’ Experience
A traveler shares her experience of being detained at an airport in Qatar over a bottle of rum. (Photo: AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
On Tuesday, the Daily Mirror reported that Laura Kemp, a self-described British “travel addict” who has visited countries like Palestine and North Korea had a “surreal” and “intimidating” experience in Qatar when authorities discovered a bottle of rum in her bag at the airport.
“Immediately, multiple staff took me away for questioning,” she said.
The Daily Mirror reported that residents could face up to six months in jail and a £600 ($747) fine for the crime.
“Although the staff were respectful, I was completely in the dark as to what was happening, and my boyfriend had to wait for me for hours while I was going through the ordeal,” Kemp shared. “I remember feeling so nervous about what was going to happen – would I be deported? Would I get a criminal record?”
Kemp went on to reveal that the officers shared with her the consequences of Qatar’s alcohol legislation, which included “a longer period of imprisonment or even deportation.”
Though the authorities eventually let her go, they confiscated the bottle of coconut Takamaka rum she had purchased in Seychelles.
“I’ll never make the same mistake again,” Kemp concluded.
In December 2022, we shared an inside look at Qatar’s single liquor store. The outlet reported that individuals interested in visiting the shop must make an appointment and show a government-issued liquor license to be granted access.
The store is state-owned, and for individuals to qualify for a license, they must be non-Muslim foreigners or tourists. The outlet reported that Qatar does not enforce a total alcohol ban, and those who are interested in imbibing are only able to do so in bars, hotels and restaurants granted with a government license.
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