Mexico’s Manuel Guerrero Aviña fined $2,686 in Doha, Qatar

Who is Manuel Guerrero Aviña?

Manuel Guerrero Aviña, 44, is a citizen of Mexico and the United Kingdom. He is gay and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive.

Aviña worked as a flight attendant for Qatar Airways, the flag carrier of Qatar. Founded on November 22, 1993, the company is based in Doha, Qatar.

In February 2024, Aviña was arrested in Qatar after arranging to meet a man named Gio on Grindr, a dating app targeted towards gay and bisexual men and transgender people. Unbeknownst to the Mexican-British flight attendant, he was communicating with a fake Grindr account.

When Aviña went to his apartment lobby to meet who he thought was a man named Gio, he was confronted by police officers. According to them, they found him in possession of methamphetamine so they arrested.

After spending 44 days in prison, Aviña was released. On June 5, 2024, he was found guilty of being in possession of an illegal substance and sentenced to a suspended six-month prison-term at Al Sadd Criminal Court in Doha.

Moreover, Aviña was fined $2,686. He will be deported if he accepts the charges and pays the fine but his travel ban will continue if he decides to appeal.