As of: February 14, 2024, 6:32 p.m
By: Julia Stanton
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A 38-year-old German was arrested at Saint Petersburg airport.
(Symbolic image) © Peter Kovalev/Imago
A 38-year-old is arrested at Saint Petersburg airport because he has cannabis in his luggage.
Russia is currently denying access to the German.
Saint Petersburg – A German citizen was taken into custody at Saint Petersburg airport upon entering Russia on Tuesday (February 12).
In the 38-year-old's luggage, customs officers discovered gummy bears laced with cannabis.
As the Russian authorities announced, the man was carrying a 20-gram package containing six black-brown gummy bears with a noticeably intense smell.
After a test it turned out that these contained tetrahydrocannabinol (THC for short).
However, the main active ingredient in cannabis is illegal in Russia.
Therefore, criminal proceedings were immediately initiated on suspicion of drug smuggling.
The man now faces a prison sentence of up to seven years and is currently in custody.
German arrested in Russia: Traveler had bought cannabis gummy bears in Germany
The traveler stated that he had used the gummy bears he had purchased in Germany to be able to sleep better during the flight.
According to authorities, the man had traveled from Hamburg via Istanbul to Saint Petersburg to meet a woman he had met online.
On Wednesday morning (February 14), the Foreign Office announced that the Consulate General in Russia had already been informed of the arrest by the Russian authorities.
The accused’s lawyer was also contacted.
The possession of cannabis is currently prohibited in Germany, but that is set to change soon: the federal government is planning to legalize cannabis from April 1, 2024.
Russia refuses access: German diplomats cannot contact the prisoner
As Der
Spiegel
reports, Russia is currently denying German diplomats direct consular access to the detainee.
This also means that the officers there may not yet have any detailed information about the arrest.
This is not the first time that travelers in Russia have been arrested for possession of cannabis.
On February 17, 2022, professional basketball player Brittany Griner was taken into custody at the airport because she was suspected of having cannabis oil in her luggage.
Just a week later, Russia began invading Ukraine.
Griner was not released until December 2022.
(jus/dpa)
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