Producer Austin sentenced on drug charges

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Grammy-winning producer Dallas Austin, who has crafted songs for TLC, Madonna and

Michael Jackson, was sentenced Tuesday to four years in prison for cocaine possession in the United Arab Emirates, his defense lawyer said.

The court also ruled that the 34-year-old Atlanta producer should be deported after serving his prison term, said lawyer Qays Hatem al-Zu'bi.

Austin had pleaded guilty to a charge of carrying 1.26 grams of cocaine into Dubai. He told the court on Sunday that he had made an unintentional mistake and did not mean to break the law in the United Arab Emirates.

Despite the sentence, Austin's legal team said it was working Tuesday to secure his release. Al-Zu'bi refused to comment on whether Austin may be pardoned by Dubai's ruler, Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Similar cases have been pardoned in the past, and the defendant is usually deported.

"Whether he will stay in prison will depend on how things unfold over the course of the day. We have no comment on what we are doing for him at this stage," said al-Zu'bi.

The songwriter, whose life story was loosely depicted in the 2002 movie "Drumline," was arrested May 19 at Dubai's airport.

He was on his way to a three-day birthday party for supermodel Naomi Campbell at a Dubai hotel, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has reported. Austin's lawyer disputed the reported nature of his visit, saying the producer was in Dubai to attend concerts.

Austin, who is based in Atlanta, has several hits to his credit, including Pink's "Just Like a Pill" and TLC's "Unpretty." He won a Grammy Award for best R&B album in 1999 for producing TLC's multiplatinum "Fanmail." He also produced "Drumline" and "ATL."