A court in Moscow announced the arrest of an unidentified American citizen on charges of organizing drug trafficking.
"On June 10, 2023, the Khamovniki District Court of Moscow imposed restrictive measures on a US citizen," the Moscow City Court announced on Telegram the same day.
The US citizen, a “musician and former paratrooper,” was arrested on charges of “organizing drug trafficking involving young people,” according to the statement. He will be held in custody until August 6. The maximum sentence the US citizen faces if convicted is 12 years in prison, Interfax reported.
According to Russian media, the American citizen is Michael Travis Leake, 51 years old, who has lived in Russia for more than 10 years. Travis Leake's Instagram account describes him as a singer in the band Lovi Noch.
The US State Department said on June 10 that it was aware of the information, but declined to provide details due to privacy concerns. "When a US citizen is arrested abroad, the Department seeks consular access as soon as possible and provides necessary assistance," a US State Department spokesperson said.
Michael Travis Leake appears on Russian television. Photo: Izvestia
The news comes as the US government is trying to get Russia to release two of its citizens, WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich and former Marine Paul Whelan.
Russian authorities arrested Gershkovich on March 30 in the city of Yekaterinburg, about 1,800 km east of Moscow, on charges of "espionage for the US government." On May 23, a Russian court announced that Gershkovich's detention had been extended until August 30 pending trial.
The WSJ and Gershkovich have both denied the allegations. US President Joe Biden has called on Russia to release Gershkovich, while the White House has called the charges against the reporter "ridiculous".
Meanwhile, Whelan was arrested by Russian security forces at a hotel near the Kremlin on December 28, 2018. Moscow claims that Whelan, who holds US, British, Canadian and Irish passports, is a spy and was caught red-handed with a USB stick containing classified information. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison by a Russian court in 2020.
Moscow City Court in Moscow, Russia September 2014. Photo: Reuters
Nhu Tam (According to Reuters, CNN )
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