Michael Travis Leake, an American, has been sentenced to 13 years in a Russian prison for trying to smuggle drugs, according to Moscow’s court service. The prosecutor’s office said that Leake, a former paratrooper and musician, tried to sell drugs he got from an accomplice between January and June 2023. It’s unclear how Leake pleaded. The U.S. has urged its citizens to leave Russia due to the high risk of arrest as tensions between the two countries are at their highest since the Cold War.
Leake was accused of packaging drugs for sale and giving them to another defendant, Veronika Grabanchuk. Interfax, a Russian news agency, reported that Leake and Grabanchuk tried to sell over 40 grams of mephedrone four times. Additionally, Leake had over 1.6 grams of mephedrone and 0.54 grams of MDMA pills in his apartment, which were seized by the authorities.
In June, Russian state TV showed footage of Leake in a metal cage during his trial. In another video, he appeared confused and said he didn’t know why he was detained or what the charges were. Leake is one of about a dozen Americans currently detained in Russia amid heightened tensions with the U.S.
Leake, in his early 50s, was part of the Moscow-based rock band Lovi Noch and had lived in Russia for many years. He even appeared on Anthony Bourdain’s travel show “Parts Unknown” in a 2014 episode filmed in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Darya Tarasova, who produced the episode, described Leake as a “showman” who loved Russia and worked with local rock bands.
The U.S. has accused Russia of targeting Americans for arrest. In March, U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich was arrested on espionage charges and remains in pre-trial detention. Last year, basketball player Brittney Griner was released in a prisoner swap for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. U.S. marine Paul Whelan is also serving a 16-year sentence on spying charges. Relations between the U.S. and Russia have worsened since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
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