A Russian court has sentenced a manager at The Walt Disney Company to two years and six months in prison on drug-related charges, according to Russian state media reports.
The employee, identified in Russian media as 46-year-old Jugal Daterao, was detained at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport in January 2026 during a customs inspection. Authorities reportedly found “narcotic-laced gummy candy” in his possession.
He was traveling from Qatar to Russia at the time of the arrest. Several Russian outlets reported that he is an Indian citizen.
The court found him guilty of drug smuggling and trafficking and ordered him to serve his sentence in a penal colony, along with a fine of 30,000 rubles.
During proceedings, he reportedly told the court the substances were prescribed in the United States following brain surgery, though officials did not publicly elaborate on the medical claim or its relevance to the case.
There was no immediate public comment from Disney.
The case has drawn attention because of his employment history, with reports linking him to a managerial role in entertainment programming at Disney since 2019, according to his professional profile.
