British rapper 'is detained in Dubai over drugs along with Russian dancer who claims he set her up'

By PERKIN AMALARAJ, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER and WILL STEWART Published: 17:54, 26 May 2026 | Updated: 17:55, 26 May 2026 A British rapper has been detained in Dubai along with a Russian dancer who claims he set her up.  The rapper, in his 30s, is reportedly being held alongside Karina Zorina, a 29-year-old dancer from Russia's Ivanovo region, after airport officials in the UAE allegedly discovered 17 kilograms of cannabis in a suitcase.  Karina, whose family is scrambling to raise money for lawyers following the arrest, claims she was 'set up' by the British rapper.  Both of them face potentially long prison sentences, or even a possible death penalty, in a country with a zero-tolerance policy for drugs.  Karina - a nightclub dancer in Thailand's Phuket - alleges the baggage was checked in under her name on a flight from Bangkok to Dubai without her approval. Her mother alleged that the luggage belonged to a British rapper who arranged the flights and checked in baggage under her daughter's name. The Russian woman has challenged the detained rapper to take a polygraph test, according to Russian news outlet Mash. Her legal team is seeking CCTV evidence from Bangkok airport to back her claims. Karina Zorina (pictured) was detained after allegedly being found with 17kg of cannabis in a suitcase  The 29-year-old is dancer from Russia's Ivanovo region who lives in Thailand  No public statement has been issued by Dubai authorities, and no charges have been publicly confirmed. According to RIA Novosti, Zorina had been living and working in Phuket before agreeing to travel to Dubai for what she believed would be a short two-day trip to renew her Thai visa. Her mother Tatiana claimed the British man travelled with another associate at Bangkok airport and that the pair exchanged suitcases shortly before boarding the flight - something that allegedly made her daughter uneasy. When airport officials in Dubai later opened the luggage, the suitcase allegedly contained sealed black packages of cannabis. Initially the Dubai authorities detained the Russian woman and released the rapper on bail, but he was later held after she gave her testimony. 'Karina insists on taking a polygraph test with the rapper,' reported Mash. 'She is sure that [the rapper] set her up.' The Russian Consulate General in Dubai confirmed the detention of the Russian woman, and online media reports have claimed a British rapper was detained in Dubai. However, there has been no formal confirmation of this from the authorities. The Daily Mail has contacted the UK's foreign office for comment.   No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.