A Walt Disney Company manager has been sentenced to prison in Russia after authorities said THC-infused gummies were found in his luggage at a Moscow airport.
Daterao Jugal Sudhir, 46, was sentenced to 2.5 years behind bars on drug smuggling charges, according to Russian state media.
Sudhir reportedly flew to Russia from Qatar in January 2026 and was detained after the gummies were discovered during what officials described as a routine baggage inspection.
He said the gummies had been prescribed by a doctor in the United States after he underwent brain surgery.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Sudhir has worked as an Enterprise Program Manager at The Walt Disney Company since 2019 and is based in New York.
He has been identified as an Indian national. It remains unclear whether he also holds U.S. citizenship.
The sentence was handed down by Moscow judge Anna Sotnikova.
Sotnikova is the same judge who sentenced American basketball star Brittney Griner to nine years in a Russian penal colony in 2022 after she was detained at a Moscow airport with vape cartridges containing hash oil.
Griner was later released in December 2022 as part of a prisoner exchange.
Sudhir’s case has drawn attention because of the similarities to Griner’s arrest and conviction, which became an international flashpoint amid strained relations between the United States and Russia.
The Daily Beast reported that it reached out to Disney for comment.
For now, Sudhir is facing more than two years in a Russian prison after saying the gummies found in his luggage were medically prescribed in the United States.