Elías Rojas, 34, traveled to Petersburg to fulfill his dream of specializing, but was jailed for using Modafinil, a prescription pill for excessive sleepiness.
According to those close to the Santander surgeon, he suffers from hypersomnia (excess sleep) and for that reason he acquired 26.1 grams of the drug. However, at the time of claiming the package, the authorities of that country were waiting for it.
The arrest occurred on February 17, 2021 and he was released on December 30, 2021. However, the investigation continued and on October 5 of this year he was sentenced to four years in intramural prison.
Now, the man’s family sent the necessary evidence to prove that Elías asked for the medicine since it is legal in Colombia. Aaron Zea, a friend of the doctor Rojas, indicated that they are requesting support from the Foreign Ministry to obtain his release.
“We are asking that a communication channel be opened from the Foreign Ministry with the Russian government so that the release can be achieved because the sentence for all the evidence that was sent is disproportionate,” he assured.
Although from Colombia they sent the medical history and the formula, with which they prescribed the medicine to the health professional to prove their innocence. The Russian Prosecutor’s Office convicted him of the crime of illegal acquisition and storage without the purpose of selling psychotropic substances.
