German man arrested in Russia for allegedly smuggling cannabis gummies
ABC News
A Moscow court has remanded a German citizen into custody after his arrest for possession of cannabis gummies and accusations of smuggling drugs
A Moscow court on Wednesday remanded a German citizen into custody after his arrest over possession of cannabis gummies and accusations of smuggling drugs, Russian state news agency Tass said.
Patrick Schobel, 38, was detained at Pulkovo airport in St. Petersburg late last month and will remain in custody until at least March 15, Tass said.
The report comes after President Vladimir Putin recently indicated that he would discuss swapping a Russian jailed for murder in Germany in a wider prisoner swap with Evan Gershkovich, a U.S. citizen who was detained on a reporting trip to Russia in March last year.
Russia's Federal Customs Service said the German national came to Russia to visit a friend and, when he was searched, a packet of “Fink Green Goldbears” with six cannabis gummies inside was found on him.
According to the Federal Customs Service, Schobel told authorities he brought 10 gummies from Germany into Russia in order to have a more “restful sleep” on long flights. When the gummies were tested at the airport, they were found to contain tetrahydrocannabinol, which is banned in Russia.