MOSCOW, February 15. /TASS/. Nine in ten American convicts are drug users, and that is a very serious problem, Viktor Bout, who has recently returned to Russia from US captivity, said on Wednesday.

"Drugs, in particular cannabinoids, are distributed on a widespread basis in prisons. The problem is very serious," he said at a meeting with students at the Diplomatic Academy.

Despite the US administration’s efforts, it is impossible to prevent this, Bout added.

"About 90% are regular [drug] users," the Russian said, adding that prisons do not carry out testing that could reveal the use of such drugs, so there is no punishment.

Last December, Viktor Bout returned to Russia as a result of a deal with the US to swap him for American basketball player Brittney Griner, who was apprehended in Russia for drug smuggling in February 2022.

Viktor Bout was arrested in Thailand’s capital of Bangkok in 2008 following a sting by US federal agents. He was charged with conspiracy to deliver weapons to a group regarded as a terrorist organization by the United States. In 2010, Bout was extradited to the United States. In April 2012, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison and fined $15 million.