U.S. Musician Sentenced to 13 Years in Russian Prison for Drug Smuggling

A Russian court sentenced U.S. citizen Michael Travis Leake to 13 years in prison on drug smuggling charges. Leake, a musician and former U.S. paratrooper, was arrested in June 2023 and found guilty of large-scale drug dealing. The U.S. embassy in Moscow has yet to comment on the conviction.

A Russian court on Thursday sentenced U.S. citizen Michael Travis Leake to 13 years in prison on drug smuggling charges, according to a statement released by Moscow's court service.

Leake, a musician and former U.S. paratrooper who was arrested in June 2023, was found guilty of selling drugs on a large scale, the court service reported. Details on his plea remain unclear, and Reuters was unable to contact his lawyer for additional comments.

Leake joins approximately a dozen Americans currently detained in Russia. The United States has urged its citizens to leave Russia due to the potential risk of arrest and harassment amidst heightened tensions between the nations. The U.S. embassy in Moscow did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Leake's conviction.

Earlier this month, another American, Robert Romanov Woodland, was sentenced to 12-1/2 years for drug smuggling by a Russian court. Leake was convicted alongside a female co-defendant, with both seen standing in a court cage in videos published by the court service. Leake, who is in his early 50s and a former songwriter for the rock band 'Lovi Noch' ('Catch the Night'), listened to the proceedings with a grim expression, occasionally shaking his head.

He had also previously worked as an English teacher in Moscow, assisting in translating songs for Russian bands.

(With inputs from agencies.)