Ex-US diplomat Marc Fogel jailed in Russia for weed possession moved to prison camp for 'hardened criminals'

Ex-US diplomat Marc Fogel jailed in Russia for weed possession moved to prison camp for 'hardened criminals'
The family of Marc Fogel has no idea of his current whereabouts as he was abruptly transferred to a secret penal colony (Jane Fogel/ Facebook)

MOSCOW, RUSSIA: A former US diplomat, who had been imprisoned in Russia for marijuana possession, was reportedly transferred to a secret penal colony where he would have to perform hard labor alongside infamous criminals. The family of Marc Fogel, a former teacher at the Anglo-American School in Moscow, has no idea where he is as he was abruptly transferred to the prison camp. 

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According to the Daily Mail, as homosexuality is stigmatized in Russia, inmates are allegedly expected to adhere to a criminal "code of conduct," and Fogel has even been advised not to look at anyone he may "think is gay." The 61-year-old has been detained in the country since his arrest in August 2021 at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport, where officials discovered 17g of prescription marijuana hidden in his contact lens case. The drug is illegal in Russia.