Russian authorities have apprehended an American man named Michael Travis Leake on suspicion of narcotics trafficking.
Leake, a singer and paratrooper, was reportedly detained on Saturday in Moscow, according to NBC.
The accused US citizen has been accused of “illegal production, sale or shipment of narcotic drugs on a large scale,” according to the state-run Radio Sputnik.
Later, the detention was validated by Moscow’s courts. The maximum term for this offence, it was stated, was 20 years in prison.
“We are aware of reports of the recent arrest of a US citizen in Moscow,” a State Department spokesperson 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.”
Invoking privacy concerns, the State Department official declined to comment further on the situation.
However, he added, “The Department of State has no higher priority than the safety and security of US citizens abroad.”
Leake will be kept in detention until August 6.
The US government has declared that it will keep applying pressure to Russia to free detained Americans Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal writer Evan Gershkovich.
The Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs at the State Department has been able to commit even more resources to securing Gershkovich’s release after the official declaration that he was illegally detained last spring.
