This has a familiar ring to it: An unnamed American has been detained in Russia on drug possession charges. The American landed in Moscow on Feb. 7, and was allegedly found to be in possession of cannabinoids:
Russian customs service detained a 28-year-old US citizen at Vnukovo Airport in Moscow for possession of cannabis-laced marmalade, according to Russian state media agency TASS.
“On February 7, Vnukovo customs officers detained a 28-year-old US citizen who was carrying marmalade with cannabinoids in his luggage,” Russian customs service told TASS.
The report does not name the man in question, but states that authorities have opened a criminal case against him with possible penalties ranging from 5 to 10 years in prison, along with a fine of up to 1 million rubles ($10,884).
Court records found by CNN indicate authorities filed the case on February 8. The US citizen appeared in court on February 10, where a judge confirmed his detention. A legal code listed in the record indicated the US citizen is accused of “smuggling narcotic drugs”.
Details are sketchy, but TASS, the Russian state-controlled media, indicated he arrived in Russia on a flight from Turkey:
According to TASS’ reporting, customs stopped the US citizen after he arrived on a flight from Istanbul. When a drug-sniffing dog named Eureka flagged one of his bags, inspectors reportedly found two plastic jars and a Ziploc bag with candy inside.
The man told authorities that the items were prescribed by a doctor in the US.
Chemical analysis, according to customs, revealed they “contained narcotic substances of the cannabinoid group,” TASS reported.
As of this writing, there has been no comment from the Trump administration. There have been two high-profile releases of Americans in the past few days: one of teacher Marc Fogel from Russia, the other an unidentified American held by Russia’s vassal state Belarus.
See Related: WINNING: American Hostage Released by Russian Ally Belarus
BREAKING: Russia Blinks, Frees American Teacher Marc Fogel From Prison
While the American held in Belarus had been detained on charges of having participated in a political protest, the teacher, Marc Fogel, was arrested in Russia over the possession of (medically prescribed) marijuana.
All of this prompts an interesting discussion. On the one hand, we’re America, and we should always try to bring our people home even if they are accused of possession of illegal drugs – which is a task that is apparently complicated when the American in question isn’t a famous athlete. That’s part of the compact the national government should make with the people–if you’re in a foreign place and in trouble, we’ll get you out.
On the other hand, this unnamed American entered Russia with a substance that he had to know was illegal there, and there’s an element of “You got yourself into this mess – you get yourself out of it.” It’s an inherent responsibility for international travelers to be aware of, and comply with, the laws of the nation(s) to which they are traveling. We expect that of people traveling to the United States (or, at least, we do now), and other countries do likewise. Also, the report so far is sketchy, and we have no idea, yet, as to the amounts the American is accused of carrying. If it’s an amount indicating distribution, that sets a whole new legal angle on the matter.
Hopefully, there will be additional details soon; we will, of course, update you as events warrant.
