I was just reading about Whelan's background. Not exactly stellar. A court martial conviction related to larceny while in the Marines. His police resume in Michigan seems a bit sketchy as well. His arrest in Moscow seems a bit fishy as well. He was leading a wedding party tour group, then skipped the wedding to go sight seeing?Taking it all with the usual grain of salt since Wikipedia is my main source.
Not supporting Putin here, but there seems to be more to what may be happening than Brittany having a bit of pot.