Russian customs officers have arrested a U.S. citizen for "drug smuggling" after allegedly finding gummy candy laced with cannabis derivatives in his luggage, Russian news agencies reported Friday.
The 28-year-old man, whom the agencies did not identify, was detained at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport after arriving from Istanbul.
"While passing customs, one of his suitcases drew the attention of a service dog," the state TASS news agency reported, citing Russia's Federal Customs Service.
"During the customs search, inspectors found two plastic jars and a zip-bag with the candy in it... Chemical analysis showed narcotic substances of the cannabinoid group in it."
The man claimed that the sweets were prescribed by a doctor in the United States and that he needed them for traveling, according to the state-run TASS news agency.
Russia holds several U.S. citizens in detention, including ballerina Ksenia Karelina, retired English teacher Stephen Hubbard and former U.S. Marine Robert Gilman.
The previous U.S. administration accused Moscow of detaining American citizens on baseless charges to use them as bargaining chips in future prisoner exchanges.
Earlier this week, Russia exchanged US teacher Marc Fogel for convicted cryptocurrency kingpin Alexander Vinnik, the first prisoner swap between Washington and Moscow since last August.
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