An American musician who has lived in Russia for more than a decade has been arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking, Russian news media reported Saturday.
The reports said Michael Travis Leake is suspected of selling mephedrone, whose effects are similar to those of cocaine and MDMA. A Moscow court ordered him to be held for two months in pre-trial detention, the reports said.
He faces charges of production or distribution of drugs, which carry a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
An Instagram page under the name Travis Leake Instagram identifies him as the singer for the band Lovi Noch (Seize the Night). News reports said Leake is a former paratrooper with the U.S. military and has lived in Moscow since 2010.
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 U.S.-imprisoned Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
The U.S. State Department said in an emailed statement to The Associated Press that it was aware of the reports that a U.S. citizen had recently been arrested in Moscow. It said when a U.S. 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.
Six former Mississippi police officers pleaded guilty to assaulting two black men.
Two U.S. Navy sailors were arrested and charged for allegedly sending sensitive military information to China.
Influencer Andrew Tate won an appeal to be released from house arrest as he awaits trial in Romani for alleged rape and human trafficking.
They recommended the one-time shot for infants who are under 8 months old before the start of RSV season — which is usually November through March — including babies born during the season.
Mexico and others have warned about the risks posed by the wrecking-ball-sized buoys that Texas installed in one section of the river.
Federal regulators are warning consumers that now-recalled lots of the Tydemy birth control pill “may have reduced effectiveness” due to decreased levels of a key ingredient of the product.
A Connecticut man was given nearly $300,000 in fraudulent Home Depot credit by walking into stores in several states, taking expensive doors and then returning them without a receipt, federal prosecutors allege.
A woman who escaped her kidnapper by punching her way out of a cinder block cell at a home in southern Oregon may have spared other women from a similar fate by alerting authorities to a man they now suspect in sexual assaults in at least four more states, the FBI said.
After no big winner Tuesday night, the Mega Millions jackpot climbed to an estimated $1.25 billion. If someone wins it all on Friday, when the next Mega Millions drawing takes place, the prize would be one of the largest in U.S. lottery history.
A Louisiana woman is suing the makers of the weight-loss drugs Ozempic and Mounjaro over alleged severe stomach problems.
