An American citizen traveling from Istanbul was recently arrested in Russia for possession of cannabis gummies, revealed airport security.
The 28-year-old man, whose identity remains undisclosed in state media accounts, was apprehended at Moscow's Vnukovo International Airport on February 7. A sniffer dog detected the illicit substance in his belongings.
Legal Troubles
Upon interrogation, the individual claimed that a U.S. physician had prescribed the gummies to him. Nevertheless, he was taken into custody and charged with drug smuggling. The potential consequences include a prison sentence ranging from five to ten years and a fine of 1 million roubles, equivalent to approximately $11,000.
Previous Cases
Notably, the Kremlin has detained several American nationals on charges related to cannabis possession in recent times. One such case involved basketball luminary Brittney Griner in 2022.
Griner faced allegations of possessing a vape containing marijuana oil and received a nine-year prison sentence. Her release transpired through a prominent prisoner exchange involving Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
In a separate incident, American educator Marc Fogel encountered legal repercussions in 2021 due to possessing medical marijuana. He was sentenced to 14 years but was subsequently liberated in exchange for a Russian cybercriminal earlier this week.
International Response
The U.S. government has denounced the detentions of Griner and Fogel as unjust. Western authorities have accused Moscow of leveraging foreigners as bargaining tools in prisoner swaps. Presently, over 10 Americans remain incarcerated in Russian penitentiaries.
A spokesperson from the State Department acknowledged the reports concerning the detention of an American citizen in Russia and affirmed ongoing monitoring of the situation.
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