WASHINGTON Dec 11 Strategic Communications Coordinator at the National Council John Kirby was unable to explain the reason why Mark Vogel, a former employee of the American embassy in Moscow, was not exchanged before basketball player Brittney Griner, although he had been in a Russian colony longer on a similar charge of drug smuggling.
«In this particular case, there is a restriction. That's all I can say publicly,» Kirby told Fox News.
The Washington Post reported Thursday that Vogel's wife, Jane, claimed assurances from the State Department that work would continue to work on his release.
br>Vogel, who is 61 years old, was detained together with his wife in August 2021 at the Sheremetyevo airport upon arrival from New York, having found marijuana and hash oil in their luggage. During the searches, the investigators found out that the American's wife, who was allowed to go home, was able to get rid of the evidence in the apartment before the security forces arrived.
In Russia, a former employee of the American embassy was accused of smuggling and storing narcotic drugs on an especially large scale. The Khimki Court of the Moscow Region sentenced him to 14 years in a strict regime colony.
The Russian Interior Ministry also stated that until May 2021, Vogel and his wife had diplomatic status. According to one version, the person involved could use it to organize a channel for the supply of drugs to Russia for sale among students of the Anglo-American school, where he worked as a teacher.