Kathy
Feb 18, Tuesday, Russia: Kalob Byers a 28-year-old U.S. citizen was arrested in Russia for allegedly smuggling cannabis-laced marmalade. He is set to return home soon, his mother said on Sunday.
He was detained on Feb 7 at Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport after arriving from Istanbul with cannabis-infused marmalade. He claimed that the sweets were prescribed by a doctor in the U.S. to treat his mother, Tony Shuler, reported that he was held without medication for eight days and suffered a “massive seizure”. His mother announced on Sunday that the authorities released him.
She wrote on Facebook, “He is now in American custody and at the U.S Embassy waiting for his flight home.” The Kremlin confirmed Byers’ release, linking it to an upcoming meeting between top Russian and U.S. officials in Saudi Arabia, where they are expected to discuss restoring bilateral relations
Kalob Byers traveled to Russia to finalize the paperwork to marry his Russian fiancee, Naida Mambetova. He met her when she was a foreign exchange student in the U.S., Shuler said. She did not reveal whether Byers’s fiancee was also in custody.
This release follows recent prisoner exchanges between Russia and the U.S., including the high-profile case of Brittney Griner, who was freed in exchange for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. Last week, Russia exchanged the U.S. teacher Marc Fogel for convicted cryptocurrency fraud.
Currently, Byers is in American custody at the U.S. Embassy and waiting for his flight home.
Keep Reading Questiqa.com and Questiqa.us for more updates.
Stacy
Olivia
