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A 38-year-old German man has been arrested at St. Petersburg airport in Russia after customs officials found gummy bear sweets containing cannabis in his luggage. The customs border officials noticed the sweets, which had a marijuana leaf decoration and described them as having a strong smell. The man is accused of drug smuggling and could potentially face up to seven years in prison. This arrest comes at a time when there are discussions about a possible prisoner swap between the United States and Russia. Moscow is hoping to negotiate the release of a Russian citizen who is currently imprisoned in Germany for murder. Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed in an interview last week that the Kremlin is considering a prisoner exchange involving the Russian citizen, Vadim Krasikov, who was convicted of killing a Chechen dissident in Berlin in 2019. Berlin has not provided any comments regarding whether they would be willing to exchange Krasikov for an American citizen. A video released by Russian officials shows the German man being searched and repeatedly claiming that the gummy bears are just regular wine gums when questioned by a customs inspector. However, a test revealed that the sweets contained tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a psychoactive substance that is prohibited in Russia. While cannabis gummies and other edibles are legal in certain US states, they are not allowed in some European countries like Germany and the UK. According to a statement from Russian customs, the man explained that he had purchased the cannabis gummies in Germany, where they can be used for medical purposes, and he uses them to help him sleep during long flights. He had traveled from Hamburg, via Istanbul, to Russia to visit a woman he had met online. The German government's Foreign Ministry stated that they are in contact with the man's lawyers. This incident is reminiscent of the arrest of American professional basketball player Brittney Griner in February 2022. She was sentenced to nine years in prison for drug smuggling after a small amount of cannabis oil was discovered in a vaporizer cartridge in her carry-on bag at a Moscow airport. Griner had a medical cannabis prescription in the US. Western officials have accused Russia of using imprisoned foreign citizens for prisoner exchanges. This was evident in the case of Brittney Griner, who was ultimately released in 2022 in a swap with the US for the controversial Russian arms dealer Victor Bout. Currently, Washington is negotiating for the release of two Americans, journalist Evan Gershkovich and former US Marine Paul Whelan, who are both held in Russian jails on charges of spying. Western officials have criticized these charges, describing them as unfounded.