American weed prisoner Marc Fogel released
The teacher sentenced to 14 years for 17 grams of medical weed in Russia
Marc Fogel is free. The American teacher who was sentenced to 14 years in prison for 17 grams of medical weed in Russia was greeted by Donald Trump on American soil. The American president called Fogel's release 'a gesture of goodwill' from Russian leader Putin.
In exchange for Fogel's release, the Americans released Alexander Vinnik. This Russian crypto trader was arrested in 2017 and accused of money laundering. In an earlier deal, in which American basketball player Britney Griner was released, the US released Russian arms dealer Victor Bout. Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison after some vape cartridges with hash oil were found on her, which she used for medical complaints.
Fogel was sentenced to 14 years in prison for 17 grams of medical cannabis.
Marc Fogel was arrested at an airport in Moscow in August 2021 after 17 grams of medical cannabis were found in his luggage. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison for this. Fogel had been teaching at international schools in Colombia, Malaysia, Oman, Venezuela, and other countries for a long time, with Russia as his last destination. His family was shocked when he was not released in a final American-Russian prisoner exchange:
'They forgot about him because he is not rich or famous. It is unfair and wrong, this is not the America we love.' A White House spokesperson stated at the time that they had tried hard to include Fogel in the exchange: 'We wanted Marc to be included. But it just wasn't going to happen. You do your best and you get what you can get.' During his election campaign, Trump promised Fogel's mother that he would work for his release. And he succeeded. Marc Fogel in the White House: 'I feel like the luckiest man on earth.'
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