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An American citizen who has lived in Russia for more than a decade has been arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking, according to local state media.
The reports said Michael Travis Leake, 51, is accused of selling mephedrone, whose effects are similar to those of cocaine and MDMA, and that a court in Moscow has ordered for him to be held for two months in pre-trial detention.
He faces charges of production or distribution of drugs, which carry a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
Russian state media outlet Interfax described “Leek Michael Travis” as an ex-paratrooper and musician who is accused of “organising a drug dealing business involving young people”.
An Instagram page under the name Travis Leake Instagram identifies him as the singer for the band Lovi Noch (Seize the Night). Other news reports said Leake is a former paratrooper with the US military and has lived in Moscow since 2010.
The US State Department said in an emailed statement to the Associated Press that it was aware of the reports that a US citizen had recently been arrested in Moscow. It said when a US citizen is detained overseas, the department “pursues consular access as soon as possible and works to provide all appropriate consular assistance”.
The department said it would have no further comment due to privacy considerations.
Russian drug laws are strict. WNBA star Brittney Griner was arrested in February 2022 after vape canisters containing cannabis oil were found in her luggage at a Moscow airport. She was sentenced to nine years in prison, but was released in December in an exchange for US-imprisoned Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
American reporter Evan Gershkovich remains in custody in Moscow, following his arrest on espionage charges in March. Gershkovich, who works for the Wall Street Journal, is being held in the notorious Lefortovo prison in Moscow, and could face a sentence of up to 20 years if found guilty.
His case is still in the stage of investigation, with no date set for a trial.
It has been widely speculated that Russia arrested Gershkovich with the hope of trading him for Russian intelligence officers or other people of interest who have been arrested in western countries, but so far there appears to have been little progress in discussions over a possible exchange.
With Associated Press
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