Drug smuggling case of former U.S. embassy employee Fogel sent to court - Russian Interior Ministry

MOSCOW. March 31 (Interfax) - The criminal inquiry regarding former employee of the U.S. embassy in Moscow Marc Fogel, who is charged with drug smuggling and possession, is now over, the Russian Interior Ministry said.

"The investigation has been completed. The criminal case and the bill of indictment have been directed to a court, which will hear the case merits," the ministry's transport department in the Central Federal District told reporters on Thursday.

As reported earlier, Fogel was detained with drugs at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport on August 15, 2021. He was indicted on counts of contraband, illegal procurement, possession, transportation, production or processing of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their analogues.

Fogel, a former employee of the U.S. embassy in Moscow, was working as a teacher at the Anglo-American School. Same as his wife, he had diplomatic status until May 2021. According to a line of investigation, he might have used the diplomatic status to arrange the smuggling of drugs into Russia for being distributed at the Anglo-American School.

The police released a video of the searches conducted at the Anglo-American School in Moscow in the course of this investigation.

The school is managed by the embassies of the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada via the school council.