An American music manager and former musician was arrested and arraigned Saturday on drug charges in Moscow, Russia, according to CNN.
Travis Leake was arraigned June 10 at the Khamovniki District Court of Moscow with US embassy officials in attendance and will be detained until Aug. 6, 2023, the outlet reported. Leake is accused of selling mephedrone, a drug similar in action to cocaine and MDMA, as reported by the Associated Press (AP). He was reportedly a paratrooper and a lead singer for the band ‘Lovi Noch’, or ‘Seize the Night,’ according to both CNN and AP reports. The U.S. State Department confirmed Leake’s arrest, according to both reports. Leake’s mother, Glenda Garcia, reportedly has not yet heard from the State Department concerning her son’s arrest, per CNN.
An image of Russian President Vladimir Putin is displayed as U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about gas prices in the South Court Auditorium at the White House campus on June 22, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
U.S.-Russia relations have deteriorated with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The U.S. State Department warned in its highest-level travel advisory Americans should “not travel to Russia” and Americans in Russia “should depart immediately” as there is “the risk of wrongful detentions.” (RELATED: ‘Never Leave A Marine Behind’: Elon Musk Slams Biden’s Brittney Griner Deal)
U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich was detained in Russia on allegations of “espionage” in March 2023, according to The Moscow Times. Gershkovich worked for the Wall Street Journal prior to his arrest, covering Russia, Ukraine and the former Soviet Union. His pre-trial detention was extended May 2023 through Aug. 30, 2023, the BBC reported. Former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan is serving a 16-year jail sentence in Russia for “spying,” reported The Moscow Times. Whelan was reportedly “greatly disappointed that more has not been done to secure my release.”
U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner was released December 2022 from a Russian jail in a prisoner swap which saw Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer also known as the “merchant of death” returned to Russia.