Michael Travis Leake, an American expatriate living in Russia has been arrested on drug charges, according to the U.S. State Department. Leake was arrested and is detained in Moscow and embassy officials attended his arraignment on Saturday.
Until August 6, Leake is expected to be detained on drug-related charges, according to a Telegram court report from Moscow. He was listed as a musician and a former paratrooper in the report.
He is a member of the Lovi Noch rock group from Russia.
Leake outbursts against Russia
Leake spoke about the alleged suppression of free speech in Russia in one episode of “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown” which was filmed and disseminated in 2014. He claimed that the Kremlin interfered with the production of an episode of a different documentary television show that included the band.
Whether or not Leake had a lawyer was not immediately apparent. Glenda Garcia, Leake’s mother, told CNN that she had not heard anything about his incarceration from the American authorities and wasn’t sure if he had legal representation. “I know he taught English and I know he was in a band,” his mother said.
According to Reuters and RTV, a Russian television, suspicious material was discovered in Leake’s residence. This might have precipitated his arrest and detention.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has further strained relations between Moscow and Washington. As a result, worries about the safety of Americans traveling to or living in Russia have also grown.
This situation could have aggravated Leake’s circumstances.
Another wrongful detention?
Leake’s arrest comes after that of Wall Street Journal writer Evan Gershkovich, a citizen of the United States, who is still detained in a Moscow pretrial detention facility on suspicion of spying, an accusation that the Journal and the American government vehemently dispute. According to the State Department, Gershkovich was “wrongfully detained.”
Read More News
Britney Spears and Kevin Federline slam reports that she is on meth
The photo above is from Pexels