by Ben Horner
American teacher Marc Fogel was sentenced to 14 years in prison for possession of “Large Scale Drug Smuggling” for reportedly bringing cannabis oil into the Russia. "During customs checks, the marijuana and hash oil were found in his luggage," officials said. The incident happened in August 2021 when Fogel was arrested by customs officers after arriving from New York with his wife at Sheremetyevo airport in Moscow. Marc was a teacher in the Anglo-American School of Moscow.
This comes after WNBA star Brittney Griner was arrested for a similar charge involving cannabis vape carts for personal use in her luggage. She remains in Russia in pre-trial detention for drug smuggling. Griner's detention began days before Russia defied U.S. warnings and sent troops into Ukraine last late February.
Russian law defines a "large amount" of marijuana to be 100 grams (about 3.5 ounces) or more. Anything between 6-100 grams is classified as a "significant amount," the possession of which generally carries a much shorter jail sentence and, in some cases, the punishment is reduced to a fine. Fogel and Griner both possessed what should have been classified as a small amount, but are being charged as if they had smuggled a large amount.
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