{"id":723316,"date":"2026-06-08T16:23:16","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T16:23:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/723316\/"},"modified":"2026-06-08T16:23:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T16:23:16","slug":"vancouver-man-detained-in-georgia-family-calls-on-canadian-government","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/723316\/","title":{"rendered":"Vancouver man detained in Georgia; family calls on Canadian government"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nika Rovensky is supposed to be studying for finals, but instead she\u2019s trying to figure out how to get her brother out of an Eastern European prison.<\/p>\n

Simon Rovensky of Vancouver was traveling to Georgia with a friend when he was arrested in the airport.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe just disappeared,\u201d Nika said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe literally did not know where he was, and we were just watching the hours tick by, really frantically because we just, we didn\u2019t know, he just disappeared.\u201d<\/p>\n

The alleged crime? Drug smuggling. The drugs he\u2019s alleged to have been smuggling: his own one-month supply of Adderall that he has been prescribed to treat his diagnosed ADHD.<\/p>\n

His family says he had documentation, but officials wouldn\u2019t accept it because it was in the wrong format.<\/p>\n

The B.C. man, who has worked since he was 15 to help support his family, is now facing up to 20 years behind bars.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was carrying it in the orange container that you get from the pharmacy,\u201d his sister said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has his name on it, his doctor\u2019s name on it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Global Affairs Canada\u2019s website has a caution for Georgia that says bringing certain medications into the country could have serious consequences. But his family says it\u2019s near the bottom of the page, and not clearly visible.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf there\u2019s something as commonly prescribed as Adderall in Canada that can get you 20 years in prison in a foreign country, that should be the first thing that you read about in a travel advisory. That should be top of the page in bright red letters.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nika says she hopes this serves as a wake-up call for others, especially because many common medications are subject to the same heavy conditions.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t just for ADHD medication, it\u2019s for your pain medication, for your SSRIs, which you know so many people are taking.<\/p>\n

Simon\u2019s family says the experience has been a nightmare, and it says Global Affairs has left them to fend for themselves.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Simon spends 23 hours a day in a six-person cell.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe feel really let down by the government,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we all kind of hope that our government is there to protect us in these situations. His mental state isn\u2019t good. It\u2019s rapidly deteriorating, I would say.\u201d<\/p>\n

CityNews could not reach Global Affairs for comment. A GoFundMe<\/a> has been launched to help cover legal fees and an impending fine, which Simon\u2019s mother and youngest sister, who still live in the Lower Mainland, say is making a huge difference.<\/p>\n

Even so, they say the experience has taken a serious toll on them, with his mom saying she was recently hospitalized with stress.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want him back home, and hopefully this whole situation will be over soon,\u201d said Eva Rovenskaja, another of Simon\u2019s sisters. <\/p>\n

Simon hasn\u2019t been convicted yet, but his family says they\u2019ll learn his fate in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n

\u201c[This] is just so beyond reality,\u201d Nika said.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tThe family of a Vancouver man detained in an Eastern European prison is calling on the Canadian government for help. (Submitted) <\/p>\n

\t\tKeep it Factual<\/p>\n

Add CityNews Vancouver as a trusted source on Google to see more local stories from us.<\/p>\n

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