Those arrested could face up to seven years in prison under Russian drug laws. (representative)
Berlin:
A 38-year-old German man was arrested at Russia’s St. Petersburg airport after edible cannabis gummies were found in his luggage, the German foreign ministry confirmed on Wednesday.
“I can confirm that we are aware of the case and that it involves a German national,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Christian Wagner said after Russian customs authorities reported the incident on Tuesday.
Wagner said the government was in contact with the man’s attorney.
He could face up to seven years in prison under Russian anti-drug laws.
Russian customs said the man was carrying a plastic bag labeled “Fink Green Goldbears” with a pattern of marijuana leaves on the bag. The bag contains six jelly candies, weighing about 20 grams.
Russian authorities said that upon testing, the items were found to contain THC – “a narcotic drug and therefore…transportation across the border is prohibited”.
They said the man arrived from Hamburg via Istanbul with plans to meet a woman he met online and travel around Russia.
Customs said, “The passenger explained that at the end of last year, he purchased 10 candies containing marijuana at a specialty store in his hometown.”
He reportedly said he enjoyed using the candies “to get a restful night’s sleep” on long flights.
Western countries have accused Russia of arresting its citizens and using them to negotiate to secure the release of Russian spies held abroad.
In February 2022, American basketball star Brittney Griner was arrested at Moscow Airport for possessing an e-cigarette cartridge containing a small amount of cannabis oil.
Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison but was released as part of a U.S.-Russian prisoner exchange.
President Vladimir Putin mentioned the case of Russian prisoner Vadim Krasikov, who is serving a life sentence in Germany, in an interview with American journalist Tucker Carlson last week.
Putin mentioned Krasikov, but did not mention him by name, while negotiating a deal to release Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.
Krasikov was jailed last year for the 2019 killing of separatist commander Zelimkhan Khangoshvili in a Berlin park, which German authorities said was ordered by Russian intelligence.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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