Air Force veteran Joseph Lopez and his brother sentenced to prison in Dubai after “drug exposure”

Two Ohio brothers, including an Air Force veteran turned influencer, who claimed they were “drugged” during a yacht party in the United Arab Emirates have been sentenced to prison for drinking alcohol, a law that is strictly enforced in the Middle Eastern country.

Joseph and Joshua Lopez have both been sentenced to one month in prison after being accused of drinking alcohol during a “tourist visit to the Emirates” in June, according to Detained in Dubai, an organization dedicated to helping people with legal problems in the United Arab Emirates.

The two brothers were enjoying a fun night out on the town on June 2 when they were taken to two separate “after-parties” and forced to pay hefty bills before a woman served them a drink they claimed was laced with drugs.

“They were drugged by locals after being invited to a yacht party by a local resident,” Radha Stirling, CEO of Detained in Dubai, wrote on the organization's website.

Joseph Lopez, who is currently Mister Louisiana in the Mister USA pageant, traveled to the United Arab Emirates with his brother on May 25 in the hopes of providing luxurious content in the City of Gold.

During their trip, the brothers spent a night at Bla Bla nightclub before being approached by an Uber driver who offered to take them to an “after-party” at a nearby hotel.

They were given plates of food and drinks they hadn't ordered, and after twenty minutes the party was over – and the brothers had to pay a large bill.

“It is clear that they were the target of scammers who wanted to rob them,” Stirling wrote.

The two brothers were about to end the evening when they were reportedly approached by a man who invited them to a yacht party.

Air Force veteran Joseph Lopez, who retired from the military less than a year ago, said he had “no expenses left for tonight,” but insisted they were “American guests” and they didn't have to worry about spending money.

On board the boat, the brothers received more drinks from the crew, who later charged them $2,722 before a woman offered them another refreshment.

“This girl brought me a drink, and after she brought me that drink, I don't remember anything,” Joseph Lopez previously told Fox 19 Now.

“They were given a drink on board the yacht and the next thing they remember is being taken away by plainclothes police officers in an unmarked vehicle,” Stirling explained.

Both Lopez and Stirling claim the brothers believed they were being kidnapped abroad, but were instead taken to Al Barsha police station, where they remained from June 3 to 12.

“Police did not test their blood for drugs or tranquilizers, despite the boys’ requests,” Stirling wrote.

Police charged the brothers with assault on an officer, resisting arrest, damaging a patrol car and drinking alcohol.

They had been released on bail but had been given a travel ban prohibiting them from returning to the United States.

According to Stirling's post “Detained in Dubai,” the brothers will contest the charges of damaging government property and assaulting a public official in court on August 20.

The brothers' lawyers expect a long prison sentence due to these charges. The organization describes the prisons as “some of the most notorious detention centers in the world.”

Stirling sharply criticized the UAE for its treatment of tourists.

“The government portrays Dubai as a safe, crime-free destination, but in reality tourists are constantly being targeted. Whether it's financial criminals seeking to defraud visitors like Joseph and Joshua, or attacks on women like Selina Waterman Smith, who was kidnapped and gang-raped,” she wrote.

“The government doesn't seem to take crime into account in the statistics it provides to the media and tourists. It's a myth that Dubai is crime-free. They just don't acknowledge it because it's bad for business.”

Stirling has asked Ohio politicians – including Republican Rep. Mike Carey, Senators Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and JD Vance, the Republican vice presidential candidate – for diplomatic intervention to bring the brothers home.

“Without diplomatic intervention, these boys face potentially years of imprisonment in prisons notorious for human rights abuses and torture,” she wrote.

“Joseph Lopez is an Air Force veteran who helps people in difficult situations by advocating for their mental health. He and his brother deserve every effort by the U.S. government to bring him home.”

The brothers had been staying in an Airbnb while they awaited their fate.