US diplomat jailed in Russia for ‘smuggling weed in contact lenses’ is moved to secret penal colony
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A former US diplomat imprisoned in Russia for marijuana possession has been transferred to a secret penal colony where he will be forced to do hard labor alongside notorious criminals.
Marc Fogel, a former teacher at the $34,000-year-old Anglo-American School in Moscow, has been taken to the camp without warning and his family has no idea where he is.
Detainees are said to follow a criminal “code of conduct” and Fogel has even been urged not to look at anyone he believes is “gay” because of the stigma against homosexuality in Russia.
Fogel, 61, has been detained in the country since his arrest at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport in August last year after officials found about 17 grams of medical marijuana in a contact lens case in his luggage.
Marc Fogel (right, with his sisters Elise Hyland, far left, and Anne Fogel, center), formerly a teacher at the $34,000-year-old Anglo-American School in Moscow, has been transferred to the camp without warning and his family has no idea where he is
Fogel was charged by a Moscow court with smuggling and possession of ‘large-scale’ narcotics
Marc Fogel, left, with wife Jane, center left, son Sam, 22, center right, and son Ethan, 24, right
Mr. Fogel’s sister, Anne Fogel, told DailyMail.com today that he was moved to an undisclosed location last week and his family does not remember where he is.
She begged Joe Biden to take a personal interest in her brother’s case and spoke to the State Department last week about how they could have him declared “wrongly detained.”
His lawyers have given him a list of advice to help him cope with the brutal conditions he is likely to face.
Anne said: ‘I understand that the transition process is very difficult. Just make the journey [to the camp]”He’s in with very hardened criminals.
‘A very specific code of conduct applies within prisons. He’s a very observant person and I’m sure he’ll figure it out soon, but who knows?
“They have warned him to stay away from anyone he thinks is gay because of the stigma attached to homosexuals. I don’t know how he will know this.’
Surveillance footage from the airport shows inspectors with sniffer dogs identifying certain objects in his baggage
Marc Fogel was detained at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport (pictured above) in August after he was found with 17 grams of medical marijuana in his suitcase, according to officials
They found a ‘carefully disguised’ marijuana package in his contact case hidden in his sneakers
The Russians also claim that Fogel’s wife, Jane, tried to remove evidence from their home before it was reached by police.
Rules among inmates can include ‘everything from eye contact to how you use the toilet in the cell with all those people’. It’s crazy.’
The appalling conditions can also mean that Fogel has no access to washing facilities and has to share a toilet with up to 50 other men.
He used to work at the US embassy in Moscow, but was in his tenth year teaching at the Anglo-American School at the time of his arrest.
He was traveling through the Moscow airport with his wife Jane when officers with sniffer dogs searched his luggage and found the cannabis.
Fogel claimed the drug was used for medical reasons and that he was “unaware of the Russian ban on medicinal marijuana.”
But Russia accused him of “large-scale drug smuggling” and “large-scale illegal storage of drugs with no commercial purpose.”
Russia’s interior ministry said earlier that “the drugs were carefully disguised: marijuana was packaged in a contact lens container and cannabis oil was in e-cigarette cartridges.”
Investigators also searched Fogel’s belongings in his office in Moscow’s $34,000-a-year elite school building
A smiling Marc Fogel pictured with his match day ticket in front of the Luzhniki Stadium for a 2018 World Cup match
He was initially held in Moscow, but later moved to another facility in Nizhny Novgorod, about a five-hour train ride away.
Anne said he was moved to an undisclosed location last week and there are fears he may even be transferred again.
She said the US embassy was “completely obstructed” and the staff “put their own lives at risk.”
“I don’t think we will find him through any government agency,” she added.
“We’re relying a little on our lawyer and maybe we’ll try to find other people to find out where he is.
‘We are very concerned about living conditions. He was in a cell with 15 to 20 other people.
‘They were allowed to shower once a month. Who knows when he last showered.’
Anne and Mr. Fogel’s wife, Jane, traveled to Washington DC last Tuesday to discuss the situation with officials from the NSA and the State Department.
She said the only contact with Mr Fogel has been through his lawyer and that it is likely to get even more difficult now that he has been moved to an unknown location.
Mr. Fogel is one of many Americans currently held in Russia. Families believe Moscow is holding loved ones on political grounds as relations with the West reached perilous lows during Ukraine’s brutal war.
Basketball star Brittney Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison in August for transporting less than an ounce of hash oil to Russia while en route to the play in the women’s professional basketball league.
She is expected to formally appeal her conviction and sentence on Tuesday.
Former US Marine Paul Whelan is also serving a 16-year prison sentence after he was wrongfully detained on charges of espionage.
Basketball star Brittney Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison in August for transporting less than an ounce of hash oil to Russia while en route to the play in the women’s professional basketball league
Former US Marine Paul Whelan is also serving a 16-year prison sentence after being wrongfully detained on espionage charges
A State Department spokesman said of Fogel’s case: “We take our responsibility to assist US citizens abroad seriously and are monitoring the situation closely.
“We continue to insist that Russia grant consistent, timely consular access to all detainees of US citizens.
“We urge the Russian government to ensure fair treatment and appropriate medical care for all US citizens detained in Russia.
“The Department is continuously assessing the circumstances surrounding the detentions of US citizens abroad, including those in Russia, for indications that they are unlawful.”
They added: “Due to privacy concerns, we have no further comment at this time.”