Marc Fogel Prisoned in Russia for Cannabis Released!
Mr. Fogel is met by President Donald Trump at the White House following his release from Russian prison. Photo source: the White House
An American teacher, Marc Fogel, is finally free after receiving a 14-year prison sentence in Russia. Fogel was detained after border control at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport found 17 grams of medical cannabis in his possession. After landing home, the man was met at the White House by President Donald Trump. During his election campaign, Trump promised the Fogel family that he would work on Marc Fogel’s release from Russian prison camp.
Pennsylvania-born Marc Fogel was freed from prison following secret negotiations. He was reportedly swapped with Russian crypto trader Alexander Vinnik, arrested in the U.S. in 2017 on money laundering charges. A similar exchange took place during Biden’s term in office, when American basketball player Britney Griner was released from Russian prison in turn for the U.S. freeing Russian arms dealer Victor Bout. Griner faced a nine-year jail sentence for possession of hash oil vape cartridges, while Fogel faced 14 years, for carrying 17 grams of medical marijuana. Cannabis - for any use - remains illegal in Russia.
Details Behind Fogel’s Release Remain Obscure
Mr. Fogel’s return to the U.S. was emotionally charged, needless to say. After flying from Moscow, he was brought to the White House, where he stepped out of a black car with an American flag wrapped around his shoulders. “I feel like the luckiest man on earth,” he said tearfully as he personally thanked the President.
Fogel had worked at international schools in South America and Asia as part of his international teaching contracts. Russia became his final destination in August, 2021, when he was arrested for cannabis, which had been prescribed to him by doctors following a spine surgery. Soft Secrets USA reported on Mr. Fogel’s case at the time, as he was convicted for ‘large-scale cannabis smuggling.’
His family expressed deep shock when he was not included in a previous prisoner swap between the U.S. and Russia. The family now praised Donald Trump for his “unwavering leadership” in bringing home Mr. Fogel.
“We are beyond grateful, relieved, and overwhelmed that after more than three years of detention, our father, husband, and son, Marc Fogel, is finally coming home,” said a statement from the Fogel family. “This has been the darkest and most painful period of our lives, but today, we begin to heal.”
Arrangements for the prisoners’ swap took place secretively, and involved Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, a real estate magnate and close friend with the president, who flew to Moscow to strike a deal.
“The president’s policy on Americans that are held abroad is that we leave nobody behind. It’s very similar to the military credo … I think that you’ll see a President who is extraordinarily proactive in seeking all hostages to be released,” Witkoff said in a statement.
Similarly to Griner’s case, the recent prisoner swap between Washington and Moscow comes at a time when the two powers are under heated global scrutiny, and as both sides prepare to sit and discuss peace plans for Ukraine.
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Stephen Andrews
