MOSCOW, January 27. /TASS/. Russian law enforcement opened a criminal case over charges of drug smuggling and possession against former US Embassy in Moscow employee Mark Fogel, Russian Ministry of the Interior transport department told TASS Thursday.
"US citizen [Mark Fogel] was apprehended, a criminal case has been initiated against him overcharges of Article 229.1 part 3 and Article 228 part 2 of the Russian Criminal code. Since the suspect could hide on the embassy territory, the Khimki city court put him under arrest," the press office said.
After the criminal case was opened, the police searched the suspects’ residence.
"It was determined that his spouse, who was released, managed to get rid of the evidence that was present in the apartment," the press office said.
Surveillance camera footage shows the woman carrying a bundle outside and throwing it into a dumpster. Later, the woman retrieved it, put it into a plastic bag, and carried it outside of the residence complex.
Mark Fogel and his spouse arrived in Moscow from New York last summer. They were stopped by the Sheremetyevo airport customs employees when going through the airport’s green corridor. During an inspection, marijuana and cannabis oil were found in the luggage. The drugs were meticulously disguised: marijuana was packed in contact lens cases, while cannabis oil was in vaping cartridges. The drugs were wrapped in plastic and hidden inside a pair of sneakers.
"Mark Fogel was a teacher of an Anglo-American school, and previously served as a US embassy employee in Moscow. Prior to May 2021, he and his spouse enjoyed diplomatic immunity. According to one investigation version, he could have used it to establish a drug smuggling channel for distribution among the students of the school," the press office said, adding that the investigation is currently identifying potential accomplices.