A German tourist has been arrested in St. Petersburg on drug smuggling charges after he brought gummy bear edibles on a flight to Russia, the Federal Customs Service (FTS) said Tuesday.
The German foreign ministry confirmed the arrest on Wednesday.
"I can confirm that we are aware of the case and that it concerns a German national," foreign ministry spokesman Christian Wagner said after Russian customs authorities reported the incident on Tuesday.
The government is in contact with the man's lawyers, Wagner said.
The man was detained at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport after a customs inspector noticed inside of his backpack “a rigid plastic bag with the inscription ‘Fink green goldbears’ and an image of a cannabis leaf.”
A rapid test confirmed that the six “pungent” black and brown gummy bears contained the psychoactive substance tetrahydrocannabinol.
Video of the inspection at Pulkovo Airport shared by the RBC news website showed a customs official asking the German man “Is this medical or not?” followed by a long discussion of the gummies’ nature.
“The man explained that he bought the bears in his home country and usually uses them during flights so that he can sleep well,” the FTS said in a statement.
The customs service said the man, whose identity was not revealed, arrived from Hamburg to visit a woman he had met online.
The 38-year-old faces up to seven years in prison if convicted of drug smuggling.
AFP contributed reporting.
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