Russian court convicts US musician for drug dealing
Michael Travis Leake is to serve 13 years in a Russian penal colony for drug trafficking conviction. A Russian court found the US citizen guilty of drug sales. According to the Press Service of the Moscow Justice via Telegram, Leake was sentenced to 13 years in a penal colony with strict conditions.
A Russian court has sentenced a US citizen to 13 years in prison for drug trafficking charges. Michael Travis Leake was "found guilty of selling narcotics" according to the press service of the Moscow Justice. He was sentenced to serve 13 years in a penal colony.
The man, identified as a "former paratrooper and musician" by the prosecution from the US, was taken into custody in June of the previous year. He was accused of "organizing the sale of drugs to young people." According to CNN, Michael Travis Leake is a musician and music producer who has lived in Russia for many years.
His sentencing coincided with the second hearing in the case against US journalist Evan Gershkovich in Yekaterinburg. Gershkovich, who is 32 years old, is accused of espionage. He faces up to 20 years in prison in a penal colony if convicted. Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal journalist, denies the allegations, as does the US government and his employer.
Given the deteriorating relations between Moscow and Washington, the arrests of US citizens in Russia have increased in recent years, particularly since the beginning of Russia's military aggression against Ukraine in February 2022.
Washington accuses Moscow of arresting US citizens without justification to use them as leverage for the release of Russians imprisoned abroad. Among the other US citizens currently detained in Russia are journalist Alsu Kurmasheva and former US soldier Paul Whelan.
The case against US journalist Evan Gershkovich for espionage charges in Yekaterinburg is ongoing, and he could face up to 20 years in a penal colony if convicted. Despite these political tensions, Russia's sentencing of Michael Travis Leake for drug trafficking also involves a 13-year prison term in a penal colony, further straining the relationships between the two nations.
