After airport officials discovered half an ounce of medical marijuana in his suitcase, a former diplomat turned teacher was sentenced to 14 years in a Russian prison camp.
Marc Fogel, a $34,000-a-year English teacher at Moscow’s Anglo-American School, was held in August at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport.
After authorities randomly inspected his luggage, he was accused with smuggling and possession of a ‘large scale’ of drugs.
Smuggling, storing, transporting, producing, and processing narcotic substances were all allegations he faced.
The harsh punishment imposed on the US citizen, who had previously had diplomatic status, is considered as a strategy by Russia to hold ‘legal hostages’ for future exchange negotiations.
It comes as a slew of other high-profile Americans, like WNBA player Brittney Griner, remain imprisoned around the country.
Former US Marine Paul Whelan is in incarcerated, while another ex-soldier Trevor Reed was just traded for a Russian.
‘U.S. citizen M.H. Fogel was sentenced to 14 years in a maximum-security prison,’ according to a court statement.
Fogel informed lawyers who came to see him in January that he took marijuana for medicinal reasons following spinal surgery.
He stated the quantity he had when he was arrested was 17 grams, or slightly over half an ounce.
Alexander Khurudzhi, a member of Russia’s Public Monitoring Commission, stated he was “unaware of Russia’s medicinal marijuana restriction.”
After the instructor was detained earlier this year, he continued, ‘He does not understand why he was arrested.’
Inspectors discovered the marijuana bundle in his contact lens case tucked within his trainers, according to surveillance footage from the airport.
‘The substances were expertly disguised: marijuana was placed in contact lens cases, while cannabis oil was included in e-cigarette cartridges,’ according to the Russian Interior Ministry.
‘All of it was wrapped in plastic and hidden in his footwear,’ the statement continued.
Fogel was accused of perhaps running a ‘drug smuggling route’ into Russia’s capital using his diplomatic position as a former member of the US Embassy in Moscow.
Investigators rummaged through his stuff in his office at the premium $34,000-a-year school premises in Moscow in another video.
His office was afterwards raided for documents and personal stuff, including a baseball cap.
According to the Russians, Fogel’s wife Jane attempted to remove evidence from their house before police arrived.
She is purportedly seen disposing of evidence on video footage.
According to an RIA Novosti article quoting local police enforcement, ‘she took a bundle out of the home and tossed it in the garbage, and subsequently carried it outside the residential complex.’
Fogel and his wife were granted diplomatic immunity until May 2021, according to the Russian Interior Ministry.
Sam, 22, and Ethan, 24, are the couple’s two kids, both of whom attended Moscow’s Anglo-American School.
The famous institution has a long history of serving the children of expats in Moscow, notably diplomats, as well as rich Russian families.
In the midst of significant bilateral tensions, Fogel is now one of numerous Americans detained in Russian prison cells.
A Russian court prolonged Griner’s custody for a second time earlier this week, meaning she will be imprisoned without charge until at least July 2.
Since Russian officials suspected her of drug smuggling at an airport in February, the 31-year-old has been ‘wrongfully held,’ according to the US State Department.
‘The court approved the investigation’s request and prolonged US citizen Griner’s arrest for another 18 days, until July 2,’ a court official stated.
The State Department has issued a travel warning to Americans, citing worries that the Kremlin may target them in order to swap them for Russians imprisoned in US jails.
Officials from the State Department said they were attempting to obtain Griner’s release.
‘I’ve received stories that her incarceration has been prolonged from Russia,’ said Ned Price.
‘Our opinion on this has been clear for some time: Brittney Griner should not be jailed.’ She should not be held in custody for another day.’
Former US Marine Whelan was sentenced to a year in jail by a Moscow court.
In May 2020, he was sentenced to 16 years in prison on espionage charges, which the US promptly decried as a “mockery of justice.”
Meanwhile, Reed, a fellow former US Marine, was released earlier this year as part of a prisoner swap for Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko in April.
After being arrested and accused with attacking two Russian police officers in 2019, he was sentenced to nine years in prison in July 2020.
On his return to the United States, Reed claimed, “That government is truly honestly evil at all levels from the top to the bottom.”
‘They have no regard for human life, and this apathy pervades every level of the Russian government, trickling down from the very top to the lowest level prison guard within their government, and all of their police officers, all of their FSB, and everyone who works for that government has no empathy for other humans.’ They’ve become absolutely numb to it.’
The former marine was brought to jail by Russian officials to sober up after leaving a party with his Russian lover, but he was subsequently sentenced to nine years in prison.
Russia wants arms trafficker Viktor Bout, who was played by Nicholas Cage in the film Lord of War, to be brought home after completing a 25-year term in the United States.