Walt Disney Company executive sentenced to 2.5 years in Russian prison

A top manager at The Walt Disney Company has been sentenced to two and a half years in a Russian penal colony by a court in the Moscow region. The executive was convicted of illegal drug transportation after cannabis gummies were found in their luggage.

A court in Khimki, Moscow region, has sentenced a senior executive at The Walt Disney Company to two and a half years in a Russian penal colony, along with a fine of 30,000 rubles. The verdict was reported by TASS, citing the press service of the courts.

The executive was found guilty of illegally transporting narcotics after cannabis-infused gummy candies were discovered in their baggage. The case highlights the strict drug laws enforced in Russia, where even small quantities of cannabis products — including edibles that may be legally sold in other countries — can result in serious criminal charges.

The sentencing adds to a series of high-profile drug-related cases in Russia involving foreign nationals and people with ties to Western companies. The most widely known such case was that of American basketball player Brittney Griner, who was detained in 2022 at a Moscow airport after vape cartridges containing cannabis oil were found in her luggage, and was later sentenced to nine years before being released in a prisoner exchange.